Always By Your Side
by DragonsOnMoon
Summary: The memories that will never fade, even in this changing world... Care to share them with us, Sweden? Glimpses from the history of Sweden, mainly focusing on Sweden and Finland's relationship, from Sweden's POV.
1. 2008

Well, I love both history and SuFin, so I really wanted to write something like this. I hope it works out okay. There isn't very much material about Sweden's history in English I could find, but I'll do the best I can with everything I could find. (There are some really juicy bits! ). Any comments and critisism will be highly appreciated.

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Prologue: 2008**

* * *

_You still remember, don't you?_

_Yes, of course you do. How could you forget? Even if you could, I doubt you'd want to. All those precious moments... the times when you two were always together, when you thought the world was yours, all those adventures and battles you two went through...all the memories..._

_...Even some you'd rather forget._

_You still see him almost every day, and while he still looks like the same person you lived with for so long, you know the time you two have spend apart has changed him. The changes are slight, but sometimes they show through, no matter how subtle they are...You used to know him so well you can tell how the time you two have spent apart has changed him. He's quieter and far more competitive than before. And he's colder towards you. You used to think it was just Russia's influence rubbing onto him, but at some point you realized it's not only that. The way he glares at you sometimes...does he blame you for what happened to him? Who knows..._

_Still, not everything has changed. He has still retained some of the innocence he had when he was still a small child playing in the woods; you can see it in his eyes. He's still the same person who never left your side, the one who smiled so sweetly...the same person you fell in love with. Oh yes...you still love him, right? Or has that changed too? Maybe not the same way you used to, but...oh yes, you still love him. There's no way you could forget the times when you were never alone. Do you want those times back? Do you want him back?_

_Unfortunately, you can't decide it on your own. Isn't it strange how you can't tell what he thinks anymore? Now that you think about it, could you ever tell? He loved you back before, didn't he? Didn't he? It's probably better not to go there. It's certain that he loved you in some way back then. His current feelings matter more...Well, he riles up whenever he even thinks someone's threatening his independence, so it's highly unlikely he wants to live with you no matter what he thinks about you. Or is it?_

_At least you still get to spend time with him, even if he seems to take everything as a competition nowadays. You're almost always seated next to each other in meetings too, like in the UN meeting today..._

"Su-san! Su-san!!"

Sweden blinked in surprise and looked around, bewildered, before realizing that he was still at the UN meeting. He could see Denmark sniggering at his expression as well as Norway frowning before turning to his right and seeing the fair-haired young man that had been calling for him. He looked amused, but his purple eyes betrayed his nervousness.

"F'nland?" He muttered, "Wh' happ'nd?"

"I think you dozed off." Finland whispered to him as a reply, and eyed around nervously. "I hope America-san didn't notice, he's giving a speech now..." He then sighed in relief. "It's okay, he wasn't looking at this direction..."

"Uhmm..." Sweden grunted, shaking his head around trying to clear it and then straightening his tie. "Th'nks", he whispered.

"Don't mention it." Finland whispered back, slightly frowning before turning around and focusing on America's speech again.

Sweden silently gazed at the younger man, before also starting to pay attention towards America and his longwinded descriptions regarding both the credit crunch and for some odd reason, ice cream flavors.

* * *

_After several hours, the meeting was finally over. Finland quickly left his seat and went to talk to Estonia. Sweden carefully pushed his seat to its place and walked towards the two, until suddenly stopping and staying there just looking at them, leaning against the wall._

_Yes, it's better to let them have their chat in peace; they're best friends after all. But you heard that they've been getting more distant from each over as well. Isn't it strange that despite the world getting smaller, everyone seemed to be growing apart? Everything's changing...Wasn't it so much easier when there were fewer houses and you were strong and feared? And when he never left your side?_

_Oh yes, you still remember, don't you Sweden? Want to share your memories with us? Let's go back and see..._


	2. 1031

A/N: For some reason, this part was extremely difficult to write. It might have something to with it being really hard to tell when Sweden and Finland first met. I can hardly wait until I get to properly recorded history so I can just choose a year and stick with it. Anyway, I did my best as always, so I hope this works. So, enjoy the show and don't hesitate to comment.

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 1: 1031**

* * *

_The world sure has changed from the time when you were young... It has been so long, and there's no man alive to remember those times, but you...you haven't forgotten. Let's go back, back to the times when the world was vast and filled with things unknown: Everything was new to you... And how you enjoyed exploring it all, all those strange lads far away from home! You, as well as your friends and rivals Denmark and Norway, conquerors of the seas..._

_Do you miss those times? Or have some of the changes been for the better? One thing is certain...You were lonely back then. Well, you were an ill-mannered guest, and feared by almost everyone, so it couldn't be helped, and while you did get along with your fellow Nordic countries, you couldn't help but wish that there'd be someone...someone kind, someone who wouldn't be afraid of you..._

_At some point you were getting tired of the sea and your life as it was, and thought about settling down. As it were fate, Norway told you about a wild child he had just seen in the forests to the east. You had been there before, and it had been rather bleak, but his tale piqued your curiosity, especially since you thought you had heard some noises in the bushes last time... And so you decided to go exploring, to see it with your own eyes...Little did you know that it would eventually change your entire life..._

_It was a beautiful day; spring had finally arrived to the north..._

* * *

Sweden pushed a spruce branch out of his way and stepped into the small path. The forest was quite amazing, and reminded him of his home. Still, while wandering around the place was relaxing, he hadn't seen as much as a hair of the boy Norway had been talking about. The fields and even the path he was standing at proved it was more than possible that there was an infant nation hiding somewhere, the problem was just finding him.

Sometimes, though, he thought he had heard someone rusting in the bushes and heard some strange singing. Now that he thought of it he had heard something like that on his previous brief visits to the wilderness- What had Norway said again?

Sweden closed his eyes. The memory was so vivid he could almost see Norway with his monochromatic eyes and serious expression standing right in front of him. His words rang in his head. "When I was exploring the forests to the east of your house, I ran into a small blonde boy playing there. He looked harmless enough, so I tried to talk to him. When he saw me approaching, he ran away and started pelting me with pinecones." He raised his sleeve, revealing some scratch marks. "A strange boy...I heard him singing in the woods later on. I wonder who he is."

As if it had just been waiting him to think about it, he could hear a distant voice that sounded like singing. He quickly opened his eyes, bewildered, and looked around. He didn't see anything that hadn't been there before, and even the voice had disappeared or had gotten mixed with the chirping of the birds.

Did I just imagine that? He thought, before closing his eyes again and focusing. After a few moments filled with anguish, he could hear the voice again, this time more clearly. It was soft and childlike, and it was singing a song very different from Sweden's own music. Sweden frowned and tried to locate the source of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from the east, so he slowly started walking to that direction. The voice grew louder as he proceeded, and before long he was certain he had found the right spot. He carefully pushed tree branches aside, wondering what he would find...

He could see into a small clearing with a forest pond surrounded by flowers, and on its bank there sat a small fair-haired boy dressed in a simple white linen gown, playing with pine cones. He seemed to be completely oblivious of Sweden's arrival, and cheerfully continued playing and singing in an incomprehensible language.

Sweden couldn't help but stare. The boy couldn't be that much younger than he was, but had a completely different, almost eerie air to him, as if he were from another world. He looked so harmless and delicate... Could he really have attacked Norway?

_So cute..._ Sweden thought, and couldn't help blood packing into his cheeks. Should he say something? He couldn't just stand here and stare...

He stepped away from the bushes and into the clearing. The younger boy heard the sound of the branches rustling and turned his head, alarmed. Narrow blue eyes met wide purple ones.

It was as of the world had frozen as the two boys stared at each other. Sweden blushed profusely. The smaller boy stared at him like a scared wild animal and slowly got up without breaking eye contact. They say that the eyes are a window to the soul, and his eyes were no different. Sweden still couldn't shake the feeling that he was dealing with something otherworldly. Those eyes...he had never seen something so...pure, not even in other child nations. He wondered if his own eyes had been filled the same kind of innocence when he had been young...and what they revealed now. He got worried. What if the child in front of him feared him too...he hadn't meant to scare him.

He cursed in his mind. Why couldn't he just have stayed hidden? He should have just left...Even so; he couldn't stop staring into the boy's eyes, hoping to find some approval in them.

After a painfully long moment the other boy's worried expression faltered and he started breathing more easily. He still looked alarmed, but it was now mixed with a hint of curiosity.

"Umm..." The boy said hesitantly, his eyes still locked with Sweden's.

Sweden panicked. The boy was talking to him! What should he do?

He carefully took another step forward. The smaller boy gave a little yelp and took a step backward, his feet almost touching the water. Sweden frowned and started talking towards him, and at that the other child turned away and scurried away from the lake and deeper into the forest. Sweden froze in mid-step, dumbfounded, staring at the fleeing boy as he tripped on his own feet, swiftly got back on his feet and continued running, soon disappearing into the woods.

Sweden was left standing alone in the clearing, silently gazing at the direction in which the smaller boy had vanished to. After a while, he walked to where he had sat. The boy had fled so fast he had left without his possessions; a tiny knife and a fishing pole. Sweden looked at them and wondered if he should take them with him or just leave them there. Would the boy find them from here? After some pondering, he left the tools on the bank and picked up one of the pinecones he had been playing with instead and examined it carefully. It was just a regular pinecone, but Sweden noticed himself putting it into his pocket anyway before walking away.

* * *

After finally reaching the edge of the forest, he turned around for a brief moment, staring back into it, and he swore he could see a pair of purple eyes looking back at him. He stayed there standing in silence for quite a while before finally leaving the forest.

As he left, he could vaguely hear the boy's strange song in the breeze.

* * *

_Even up to this day you're glad you went there. And so is he, even if he won't admit it, right?_

* * *

A/N: Disorganized people equal a clumsy nation-tan to me at least. And yeah, it looks like back in the day Finland only got along with Estonia. (And they're still best friends? Aw. =3). Thanks for reading and please tune in for later chapters.


	3. 1249

A/N: *Sigh...* Okay seriously, I can't wait until I get to properly recorded history, it'll make this so much easier (I think... =,D). Anyway, here's chapter two. I know the story is advancing a little slowly (by the looks of it there'll still be one chapter of Little Sweden and Finland's adventures before the Kalmar Union. Ehe. At least Russia will make his first appearance in it if nothing else.), and I hope it's not a problem. Anyway, enough blabbering and on with the show. Comments and criticism are, as always, highly appreciated.

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 2: 1249**

* * *

_Time went by. You returned to your home and did your best to forget the whole incident and not too much later, you finally went through with your plan to settle down as well. The biggest change was of course the cross you started wearing around your neck. It gave you powerful new allies, but it also meant you had to give up your _Vaettir_, your mythical creatures. Can you remember them at all anymore? Leaving your old life wasn't easy... You still miss the sea, don't you? And the adventures? It's a shame there's no place for heroes and legends in these modern ages, but then again, would you even exist today if you hadn't been able to adapt yourself to the changing times. Who knows?_

_Soon you found out that settling down wasn't the easiest thing to do; while most of the other nations still feared and respected you, the more powerful ones had no problems clashing with you. The small disputes with the self-proclaimed "King of Northern Europe" were nothing compared to the arguments with Russia, the alarmingly strong and prosperous nation living not too far away from you. You had trespassed in him and his sisters area earlier, and being on bad terms with someone so powerful wasn't a good idea, especially since he lived so closed to you. In fact, the only person between you and him was...oh yes, the blonde child living in the forest._

_At first you were busy enough to keep to memory of him out of your mind, but as time passed, you noticed your thoughts drifting towards him more and more frequently. He seemed to be fairly strong for such a tiny person, not to mention lived very close to you. If Russia would find him and take him to live at his place, the result could be disastrous to you The only safe thing to do was to go and bring him to your house first. Besides...You really wanted to see him again, didn't you? He looked so sweet...You couldn't help but think how lovely it would be to make friends with him... After a lot of thinking, you decided to take action and returned to the forest._

_The boy wasn't, should we say, exactly happy to see you again. He had been fighting with Russia and thus was even more xenophobic than before, and when you tried to grab him, he became downright hostile towards you. He would run away whenever he saw you approaching, and when caught, pummeled you with his tiny fists until you let go. It hurt, not the hits themselves as much as his anger and fear towards you. Still, you couldn't give up, and continued pursuing him through the forest._

_Finally, your patience was rewarded; he got accustomed to your presence and would stop running away. He had grown tired of both Russia and Denmark chasing after him, and in the end he took the cross you offered him and finally followed you to your house._

* * *

"Wow!" The small boy in white exclaimed, looking awed. "Your house is really amazing." He said in an impressed tone, turning towards the taller boy standing behind him. Sweden merely nodded in reply.

"''ts r'lly q'ite sm'll." He muttered quietly.

"Oh. Well, it looks pretty big to me." The other boy replied, currently inspecting the wooden ceiling and removing the heavy mantle from his shoulders. Sweden didn't say anything, but continued studying the younger boy as he looked around his new abode. He hadn't changed much from the very first time he had met him; he had grown barely an inch and still wore the same gown. The only visible difference was the wooden cross hanging in a delicate chain around his neck, bouncing on his petite chest as the boy climbed onto a bench next to a window, and watched the falling snow.

"Brr, it's getting cold." The boy said and shivered, as if he could already feel General Winter approaching. He then looked back at Sweden - who hadn't stopped staring at him during the whole time with a slightly worried expression and jumped off the bench.

"So..." The boy slowly started...

Sweden sighed in his mind. What should he say? Talking to other people was always so difficult; the smaller nations always seemed to be intimidated by him no matter what he said, even before he said anything at all. It always made him self-conscious, and finding the right words became even more difficult. Still, he had to try; he really wanted to get things right with this boy. Luckily, he didn't seem to be that frightened of him anymore, but even so, he had to come up with something soon before the smaller child would start to think he was angry at him or something...

He looked up and realized that the boy had been looking at him the whole time he had been thinking, and he could see a trickle of cold sweat on his forehead. How long had he been lost in thought again? Sweden started to sweat, exasperated. He didn't want the boy to look so frightened...What should he do?

He walked to the boy and looked directly at him. The boy looked even more nervous. Sweden blushed and continued staring, unsure what to do next.

"Umm..." He mumbled, frowning and trying to find something sensible to say, before finally adding: "'m Sweden."

"Ah." The smaller boy said and gave a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing. He extended his arm towards him. "It's nice to meet you, Swu- um, Swedi- Sw-..." he stuttered, getting more and more distraught every moment. I-I'm so sorry, Swi- Oh no..." He started to shake.

Sweden panicked again. Did the boy really think he'd get angry for him not being able to pronounce his name correctly? Apparently so. Sweden racked his brain, trying to think of a way to comfort the boy...

"Um...Um...Su...Su-san? The boy looked up at him, his eyes filled with concern. "I-is it alright if I call you that?"

Sweden, once again out of words, nodded, and tried to look as friendly as possible. Apparently it worked, since the other boy stopped shaking and even looked him straight into his eyes.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you, Su-san." he said, extending his arm again.

Sweden could see a hint of a smile on the boy's face and blushed, before taking the boy's hand and shaking it carefully. He still hadn't asked the question he had meant to ask, and tried to find the right words.

"Y'?" he finally blurted, still holding the boy's hand.

"Huh?" The other boy said, dumbfounded. "Oh, my name? Well...I don't really know..." He stared at his feet, looking uneasy.

Sweden frowned. Why didn't he want to tell it? Didn't he trust him or something? The thought made him sad. No, it had to be something else...Suddenly the realization came to him. Maybe the boy didn't have a proper name to himself? Could that be possible?

The small boy was still fidgeting. Sweden squinted his eyes and tried to think of a suitable name for the boy.

"Well, I guess..." the boy slowly said,

"'F'nland." Sweden broke in.

"Huh?" The boy blinked, distraught.

Sweden felt his blush deepened and he squeezed the boy's hand tightly "'ll c'll y' F'nland." He repeated.

"Finland?" The blonde boy said, looking thoughtful. "Sure, why not. You can call me that."

Sweden nodded and loosened his grip of Finland's hand. He slipped his hand away, and after a few more moments of awkward standing around he turned away and climbed back on the bench. He stared out of the window into the snowy wilderness with a sad look on his face.

Sweden got worried. Had he said something wrong after all? He had tried to choose his words so carefully... Even so, the other boy was clearly downcast and something had to be done.

"Yer sad." He said quietly, more as a statement than a question.

"Huh? Oh." Finland turned his head to look at Sweden, clearly surprised. "No, it's nothing. I...I just miss Estonia."

"Who?"

"My best friend. I haven't seen in a while and...I was just thinking about if I'll meet him again..." His voice trailed off.

"That so?" Sweden asked carefully.

"Yeah..."

Finland turned back to the window as if trying to hide his face.

"He yer 'nly friend?"

Finland frowned, as if not quite understanding his words.

"I think I had some other friends too, but...umm..." he paused, frowning deeply, clearly trying to remember something but not quite managing, his hands fingering the cross hanging around his neck. "I'm not sure... I think there was some other folk too, but...I just can't put my finger on it...Oh well." He sighed and resumed staring into the distance, looking even more anxious.

Sweden felt queasy. Had he already started forgetting his mythical creatures? Sweden could only vaguely remember his own folk, and memory was fading. It was more than possible that the same was happening to the tiny Finn, but by the looks of it the process was a lot faster in his case. That couldn't be good, especially since Finland was clearly upset about the loss, even if he didn't quite remember what he had lost anymore. Was it Sweden's fault? The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Even so, it was too late to regret his decision now, all he could now was to take care of the tiny boy and do his best to keep him happy.

"Umm..." He grunted, shifting his feet from one side to another and looking away.

Finland turned to look at him again.

"Huh?" he said, confused.

"'ts gett'ng late." Sweden muttered. Damn! That wasn't what he had meant to say at all. So embarrassing...What was it with this boy that made him lose his composure like this?

"Oh, you're right...It's dark outside already." Finland said and got back on his feet, yawning trying to break the silence somehow. "Should we go to sleep then?"

Sweden replied by nodding once again and beckoned him to follow him. Finland grabbed his mantle and followed the older boy to the corridor.

* * *

"Hmmm...This is a little narrow for the two of us..." Finland carefully remarked as they got into the bed.

"'ts safer th's way." Sweden replied in a quiet tone.

"Oh...That's true of course." Finland sighed and got under the covers. "Okay, good night Su-san."

"G'night." Sweden said and blew the candle off, and lied down next to his new roommate. He was already breathing slowly. Sweden carefully brushed Finland's hair out of his eyes and looked at his delicate face as he slept peacefully. He couldn't help wondering how this would work out.

* * *

A/N: Lol, poor Sweden-kun doesn't realize he looks scary when glowering. On a historical note, Sweden actually called Finland _Österland (_Eastern Land; How imaginative, Sweden XD_) _until the 15th century, put for the sake of simplicity I settled for Finland (I will change it if it really bugs someone though). In the same vein, Russia wasn't exactly Russia but Novgorod...but really, it's the same nation (except smaller). And if history is to be believed, it really took Sweden 100 years (from 1150 to 1249) to properly lure Finland into his house. Yeah. As I said earlier, I can't wait to get out of the Middle Ages. =P

By the way, here's something funny I ran into in Wikipedia:

_"Finnish-Swedish relations have a long history, due to the close relationship between Finland and Sweden."_

Even Wikipedia ships SuFin. XD

I'll try to pick a pace with the story now then. Thanks for reading; it means a lot to me.


	4. 1323

A/N: Hi again! So, we've reached the 14th century and the last chapter before the Kalmar Union. In other words, this is the last chapter with chibi-Sweden and -Finland. They grow up so fast *sniffles*.

There's a small dilemma between Hetalia and real history I had trouble solving; since Finland had already lived with Sweden for centuries by the time they escaped (in fact, they were ridiculously close *insert yaoi joke here*), how is it possible for him to be so frightened of Sweden? (To answer my own question: because he looks really scary at times. Poor Su-san) Well, I tried to solve that by keeping them both as children before the Kalmar Union and having them growing up during the union (well, they're teens/grown-ups in the beginning of their Hetalia adventures, so it should make sense...), when they were relatively distant from each other when compared. This way, it shouldn't be that strange to have Finland be intimidated by Sweden. I hope it works out.

Anyway, on with the show. Any and all comments are, as always, highly appreciated. ^^

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 3: 1323**

* * *

_In the end, your and his life together started smoothly. He had never had a house of his own, but he got used to your rules soon enough and helped you the best he could. It was great fun too, wasn't it? He seemed to be less and less frightened by you every passing year and it was so nice to have someone else living with you, especially someone as sweet as him..._

_Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with you two living together. Denmark had already lost interested in the diminutive Finn, but Russia wasn't going to give up so easily. You two fought often and fiercely, and it always resulted in pain and fear. You couldn't help but feel guilty..._

_Eventually, you all grew tired of the fruitless hostility. Russia gave up on his claim for Finland and invited you to sign a treaty of peace. You took Finland with you and set off to Russia's house..._

* * *

"Su-san!"

A boy wearing a simple pair of pants and a tunic ran over to the taller boy wearing similar gear, trying to adjust the cape on his shoulders as he ran.

"I'm sorry! I just couldn't find my bag anywhere." Finland said anxiously, trying to catch his breath.

Sweden didn't say, but merely lifted the small leather bag in his hand in reply.

"You had it? Finland yelped, amazed, the sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness..."

"R'dy to go?" Sweden asked.

"Yes, of course." The younger boy said, reaching out trying to take the pack from the older boy. Sweden lifted it out of his reach.

"'ll c'rry it." He murmured, before turning around and walking towards the wooden door.

"B-but...um..." The other boy hesitated for a second, before giving up and following Sweden and stepping out of the door.

"Oh." he said the moment he got out of the house, blinking in the sudden sunlight. "Is it morning already?"

Sweden looked up. It was indeed morning, and a lovely morning, too; it was early spring, and the air was balmy and fresh. There was still snow on the ground in spots, but other than that there were no signs left of the particularly harsh winter. He could even hear birds singing their unintelligible love songs.

"Su-san, look! Flowers!" Finland shouted cheerfully. He rushed off laughing, before stopping abruptly and turning back at Sweden. "Umm..." he said nervously. Are we in a hurry, or is it okay if I...?"

Sweden smiled faintly and gave an approving nod. The shorter boy beamed at him and dashed off into the woods, delighted.

Sweden followed him from the distance; enjoying the weather and watching Finland skip around the forest whistling happily. He sure loved nature, maybe even more than Sweden himself. Sweden couldn't help but smile at the boy's enthusiasm. Finland had grown quite a bit, but was still a head shorter than him. Other than that, he looked almost exactly the same as before; short light hair, purple eyes brimming with curiosity. But no matter how Sweden adjusted his glasses, he couldn't see the faint scars in Finland's arms despite knowing that they were there. The scars barely visible anymore, but he still remembered what they had looked like when wounds had been open and Finland had cried in agony...Sweden shuddered. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what had happened; while Finland and Russia had fought in the past, the battles had gotten increasingly violent since they had started to live together. Well, now he would end it. It was time for peace. Finland shouldn't have to suffer...

"Su-san, come and look!" Finland called, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up and saw the other boy waving at him, crouching under a pine tree. He walked to Finland and bent his knees to get to his eye level.

"Look" he said and pointed at some white bell-shaped flowers with large green leaves growing under the tree. "That's my favorite flower!"

"Lily-o'-the-v'lley? Ts pretty." Sweden mumbled, staring at the flowers.

"You think so?" Finland asked, smiling. "They smell lovely, too." he added and sniffed the air, with a peaceful look on his face. "I wish I could pick some and take them with me."

Sweden nodded. He knew that the flower, despite is beauty, was also poisonous and all but safe to take with them.

"Y' can a'ways c'me 'ere to look at 'em..." He muttered, casting a sideward glance at Finland.

"Yeah... I just meant, you know, that I'd like to take some with me to where we are going..." he replied quietly, then clutched his knees and sighed.

Once again Sweden couldn't think of anything suitable to say to comfort his tiny friend. But when words fail to deliver, there are always actions. He grabbed the boy's shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Su-san?" Finland said, surprised and a little alarmed at the older boy's reaction. Sweden racked his brain trying to find something

"'tll be okay. ll be ther'." He eventually blurted.

Finland laughed nervously. "I'm not worried; I know it's going to be fine. It's just so far away..." he sighed and leaned towards Sweden, resting his head on his shoulder and closing his eyes.

They sat there for quite a while, with only the sound of birds singing and Finland breathing softly to be heard. Finally Sweden broke the silence.

"We sh'ld go." He said and carefully got up, making sure Finland wouldn't fall over due to the sudden change of balance.

"Oh." Finland leaned forward and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, I think I dozed off." he said sleepily before slowly getting up.

"Dun worry." Sweden muttered, and quickly looked away, not wanting the other boy to see how flustered he was.

"Um, okay...Finland said and adjusted his cape, then added: "You're right, N teborg is still far away."

Sweden turned around to face Finland again and held out his hand. The other boy took it and started walking away from the forest with him, pausing only to take a brief glimpse at the flowers.

* * *

Sweden stared at the high gates in front of Russia's house. He couldn't help thinking it was going official now. Of course, in a way it really was so. He squeezed Finland's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Finland asked him, looking concerned.

"Yea." Sweden said and nodded. "Dun worry." After all, this was supposed to be a joyful occasion.

Finland smiled briefly. "I won't." He looked at the gates with determined eyes. "Whenever you are ready."

* * *

"So, we have an agreement?" Russia asked and smiled at the two small figures on the other side of the table.

Sweden stared back at him as stoic as ever and Finland was paying more attention to Russia's fantastic house decorations than his words. Russia didn't seem to mind, but merely chuckled and resumed talking.

"Very well, I've signed this. Here." Russia handed the parchment and a quill over to Sweden. He took a brief glance at it and signed its.

"There." Russia said, still smiling. "I'm glad to make peace with you. Hopefully this friendship will last for the longest time."

Finland returned his smile, if a little reservedly, and Sweden's expression as per usual didn't reveal his thoughts. Russia stood up, shook Sweden's and then Finland's hand, re-adjusted his scarf and walked to his superior, engaging in a discussion with him.

"Let's go." Sweden said and got up.

"Oh, okay." Finland said and quickly followed in Sweden's footsteps, grabbing the side of Sweden's cape. "Norway-san is probably waiting us back already, we've been away for months."

"Mmm."

"He was talking about making peace with Russia-san too, wasn't he?"

"Yea."

At this Finland fell silent and gripped Sweden's cape tighter, focusing his attention on the path in front of them. They continued walking through the meadow at a brisk pace in silence. All of a sudden Sweden paused, staring into the distance. Finland hadn't been expecting it and stumbled, clinging to the taller boy's mantle and tried to regain his balance.

"Ooh!" He groaned and let go of Sweden. "Is something wrong?" He asked. Sweden was still staring straight in front of him with unfocused eyes, before suddenly turning towards Finland, staring him right into the eyes. The smaller boy took a step backwards, startled by the intensity of his stare.

"M...'M s'rry." Sweden mumbled.

"Huh?" Finland blinked, obviously confused.

"I had ta giv'way yer areas. I sh'ldn't have dun th'." Sweden turned his gaze away. There, he finally managed to say it. Maybe he would finally stop feeling so guilty.

Finland stared at him expressionless for a second before lightening up.

"Is that what you've been so worried about?" He said, laughing. "I told you it's okay."

"And...Um..." He continued, fidgeting. Sweden turned to look at him. "They're not my lands anymore...they're our lands." He finally stammered, blushing.

Sweden stared at him, shocked. Did he really mean that? He looked him in the eyes and could see his seriousness. He could feel a sudden sense of warmth in his chest.

"Thank y'." He mumbled and took Finland's tiny hand into his own, only slightly larger one. "Let's go h'me."

_Not my home. Our home._

* * *

A/N: I managed to resist writing "vital regions"! Hooray! X3

Let's see...I hope I'm not antagonizing Russia too much. From Sweden and Finland's point of view he is a villain, but I'll do my best to treat him with respect.

Speaking of Russia...Another quote from Wikipedia: _"Hostilities between the two powers were renewed in 1392 and 1411. -- Novgorod's demise did not result in peace, however, and conflict continued between Russia and Sweden until the early 19th century."_

...Does early 19th century mean 1809? If so...Oh boy.

(They really should have gotten themselves a private island where to fight like England and France in that one strip ^_^;)

Okay, it s time for two big D's: Denmark and Drama! XD Until then, thanks for reading.


	5. 1436

A/N: Oh Denmark...You're so difficult to write, you know that? I had the impression of him being easy-going and cheerful, if quite bossy and stubborn. Apparently he also likes to hold grudges ^_^; Anyway, he's a lovely character and I hope I did him justice. Wait, shouldn't I worry more about doing Sweden justice? Oops. Oh well, I can't really of anything interesting to say at the moment, so without further ado, here's the story. Hope you enjoy it. ^^

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 4: 1436**

* * *

_Remember when you all lived to together? You had lived with nearly all the other Nordic nations at some point, but this was the first you were all under the same roof. At first it was nice enough, but where nations gather there are always problem too, and your union was no exception..._

_In the end, you just couldn't accept Denmark's attitude. It's no wonder a strong-willed and ambitious man like him and you would end up fighting for power. Getting along with him had never been easy, and he had become even bossier as he had grown older. His control over you was something your pride couldn't take._

_Oh yes, pride. Such a strange sentiment...it protects us, but also hinders us from doing what we really want. Isn't that right, Sweden?_

_Well, let's forget that for a while and go back to when the bond between you started to break..._

* * *

Sweden walked through the wooden corridor where Denmark's room was located, sighed, and knocked on the door before opening it.

"Y' called?" He asked from the figure sitting behind a desk as he closed the door.

"Ah, Sweden!" The young man with unruly blonde hair replied grinning, then got up from his seat and walked towards Sweden. "Good timing!" He set his hand on Sweden's shoulder and looked him straight into the eyes.

"Okay, here's the picture; the wars are still on and I need some more supplies. Can you take care of it?"

Sweden raised his eyebrows. More? He had already sent more than he could afford! Worst of all, he had trouble coming up with money in the first place, thanks to the Dane's constant arguments with other countries. This was really getting out of hand!

"I c'n't." He replied flatly.

"Huh? Oh, come on! I need your help!" After a momentary frown Denmark smiled again and patted Sweden's shoulder. "Look, we're in this together. I'll watch your back and you watch mine, and this'll be a great kingdom in no time!"

Sweden frowned. Denmark seemed to be completely oblivious of the effect of his constant disputes to his housemates. And what did he mean by "great kingdom"? Did Denmark think they were all just living in his house?

"L'k." He said bitterly, removing Denmark's hand from his shoulder. "This is t' much fer me. I c'n't let y' decide fer all m'things, 'nd I c'n't giv' y' mor' suppl'es."

Denmark stared at him with his mouth hanging wide for a while before regaining his composure and looking at Sweden with an icy glint in his eyes. "So, this is how you repay me? YOU were the one who wanted this union in the first place. I helped you out, so now it's your turn to help me out! After everything I've done for you..."

"Ev'rything yev' dun fer me?" Sweden asked, feeling the anger he had tried to suppress flaring up. "Yer not m'boss!" He shouted at Denmark.

"Since when have I said that? All I'm asking for is a little gratitude for making your life so much easier! Without me you'd still be stuck with that stupid superior of yours!" Denmark snapped, obviously ticked off.

"Yea, onl' now I hav' y' as m'sup'rior." Sweden growled back.

"Well, it's my house, so you've better do what I say!" Denmark yelled, then suddenly blinked, realizing what he had just admitted.

Sweden clenched his fists. He had had his suspicions, and this confirmed them.

"Well..." Denmark said hesitantly, before riling himself up again and continuing at a considerably higher volume.

"It's simpler for us all for me to take care of all of our politics at once, so quit whining! I'm the King of Northern Europe after all! Just stay in your place!"

At this Sweden raised his fist and punched Denmark right into his face. The blond man staggered, but managed to regain his balance before falling down. He glowered at Sweden, holding his reddened cheek, both shocked and furious.

"So, that's what you think, eh? After all the trouble I went through? Fine!" Denmark muttered through gritted teeth. Sweden prepared himself for the strike, his arms in a defending position, but it never came. Instead, the Dane just turned around and walked away fiercely.

"I thought we were all in this together. Apparently I made a mistake." He muttered so quietly Sweden could barely make the words out.

Denmark walked to the window still holding his cheek, his back turned away from Sweden. "You can take more care of your own business if you want it so damn much. But I won't forget this!" Sweden could hear a hint of sorrow mixed in his voice. He turned around and it was almost as if there were tears in his eyes. Sweden's didn't know what to think. He hadn't really wanted to hurt Denmark. It was just....he and his antics really made him mad. He had tried to keep his anger in check, but now it had just boiled over. Well, it was too late to regret it; he could only wait and hope Denmark wouldn't do anything rash.

He backed away without saying a word and reached for the doorknob. He turned around to take a quick glimpse at Denmark before leaving the room. His left cheek was still bright red from the impact, but otherwise his face was calm. One could almost think he had gotten over the incident. But Sweden could tell from the fire flickering in the Dane's eyes it wasn't over yet.

* * *

The other Nordics were sitting in the shared kitchen, chatting happily and having a late evening snack when he returned. At the sound of his heavy footsteps, they halted the conversation and turned towards him. Finland jumped up from the bench he had been sitting on.

"Su-san! Welco-" he said cheerfully, before stopping abruptly after seeing the grim look on his face. Silence fell into the room.

"We'll go to bed now." Norway said suddenly and took the hand of little Iceland and escorting him away from the room, leaving Sweden and Finland together. They stared at each other, with Finland fidgeting nervously.

"Umm...Please, have a seat." he eventually said gesturing with his arm, still looking nervous.

Sweden sat on the far edge of the bench and stared at the floor, trying to think of something to say. Finland regained his seat and the two sat there in silence, with Finland occasionally casting a glance at him when he thought he wasn't looking. Sweden didn't come up with anything sensible to say despite, but fortunately the other boy didn't seem too uncomfortable with the silence. He was glad; it was soothing and somewhat delightful to just sit there together without feeling compelled to talk. Besides, he really didn't want to discuss what had just happened. The fury in Denmark's eyes wasn't easy to forget...He would try to take revenge for sure...Sweden grimaced, already worried of what the Dane might come up with...

"Be car'ful of Denm'rk." He soon muttered.

"Eh?" Finland looked at him, obviously perplexed by his sudden words. "What do you mean?"

"Nev'mind...Jus'...jus' g'to sleep." he got up and stormed out of the room, leaving the baffled Finn to sit in the kitchen alone.

* * *

A/N: *Feels uneasy*. Exactly what did I imply with that? Heh... *awkward laughter*. Anyway, the next chapter should be following up pretty soon (and after that I quickly need to pull something interesting non-war related out of my *** lest I want to go straight to 1695. Whoops.). Until then, see ya! Thank you very much for reading.


	6. 1523

A/N: Okay, it looks like the Kalmar Union is coming to an end already. That was pretty fast. Also, I opted for a flashback this time, so the narrator's taking a break. (. He'll probably be back already by the next chapter though. ^_^;). Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 5: 1523**

* * *

It was a warm summer evening after a scorching day. Besides crickets chirping, the only sound that could be heard was the heavy steps of a lone tall figure walking down the road. His boots and rim of his cape were dusty from the long journey, and he was clutching his left shoulder in pain. He also carried a bloody sword in his left hand.

Sweden slowed down to look at his sword. He should get it clean soon before it would start to rust. He would have to take a break soon.

After a short while, he reached a three-way crossroad, with a sign .This was a good place to stop. He carefully sat on the ground and took a piece of cloth out his bag, wiped his sword on it and put it in its sheath. He then leaned back, examining the various new cuts and bruises. He suddenly winced; the wound on his shoulder had started to ache again. He rolled up his sleeve and sighed: the bandage was bleeding through. He reached for his pack again as carefully as possible, trying to. Still, the wound was slowly healing; the pain had been much worse when he had first gotten it...

* * *

_"Shweden..."_

_Sweden turned around, alarmed. Denmark lurched towards him, carrying his trademark ax with both hands._

_"Hey Shweden, why can't ya just do what I shay?" Denmark slurred. Sweden could tell even from the distance that he had been drinking heavily. Why couldn't he even tell his limits? Still, something in his tone told him this was more than just ravings of a drunk._

_"B'cos I want t' decide fer m'self." He warily replied, taking a step backwards. Denmark didn't say anything in reply. Instead, he stood still with his head hanging low, obscuring his face._

_After a prolonged silence he finally focused on Sweden again, looking considerably more sober. "I see." He said in a thick voice. "My choices aren't good enough for ya?" Sweden didn't reply, but took another step backwards. Denmark seemed to notice this and his eyes flashed with anger._

_"Sho, you just expect me to help ya every time you're in trouble without even sho much ash a thanks?" He snarled. "No dice! Ya should follow my rules if ya expect any help!" He staggered forward and was inches from Sweden, staring him with his bloodshot eyes. He could smell alcohol in his breath._

_Sweden pushed him away fiercely. Denmark took a few faltering steps backwards due to the impact. The two men stared at each other. Sweden could see from the Dane's eyes how offended and upset he was, but didn't feel the least bit sorry. Denmark had already crossed the line earlier._

_"Y'..." Sweden pointed at Denmark, his hand shaking with fury. "Y' had Russia att'ck F'nland. ll nev'r forg't th'. I owe y'n'thing."_

_Denmark frowned. "I just tried to show ya your place!" he yelled and as if to emphasize his words struck his ax on the floor. The polished wood was damaged by the strike. "You're too cocky for ya own good! Don't forget I'm shtronger than you!" He lifted his ax and used both hands to point it at Sweden "Now do what I shay!"_

_Sweden gave him an icy look and stood there his head held high. "No." He replied. Enough was enough. He still had his pride._

_Denmark gave him a stare as cold as death and slowly raised his axe. "I ghuess I still need to teach you a lesson then!" He screamed and charged towards him..._

_A flash of steel; crimson blood spilled into the night._

* * *

Sweden sighed. The memory was unpleasant, but at least it assured him that leaving had been the right choice. He was sick of Denmark and his superiors. It was time for a new beginning, this time alone. It was probably safer too; Denmark could get really dangerous at times, especially when drunk. What had possessed him to stay in that house for so long? He really should have known it was time to leave after Denmark had gotten Russia to attack Finland...

The thought put an end to his musings, and he looked up, horrorstruck. In his haste to leave, he had forgotten to take Finland with him!

What now? He couldn't go back to get him, not after all that, it would be too risky. Unless...he wanted to leave Denmark's house as well? It would be easier then, but still...

Sweden shook his head.

"'t c'n't be help'd." he muttered to himself. He should have thought about it then, it was too late now. He had to forget about him.

But how?

He leaned back and closed his eyes. The hypnotic smell of the flowers growing by the side of the road filled his senses. He really couldn't go back, but...could he really leave without his most trusted friend. Friend...

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the memories flooding in his head. Finland's laughter, his innocent smile, the mysterious folk songs he sometimes sang when he thought no-one was watching...and the one time he had actually sung them to him when he had come down with the plague...

What was this strange feeling in his chest? Whenever he thought of the blonde young man his heart started beating faster...It couldn't be...Sweden involuntarily blushed. No, that was impossible. But one thing he knew for sure: he had to go back and get him. How could he have even thought about leaving him at Denmark's place?

Sweden dusted off his boots and got up, determined. He turned on his heels and started walking back to where he had come from, unsheathing his sword again. I wasn't over yet.

* * *

A/N: No, really, Sweden actually left the Kalmar Union without his wife first. What was he thinking? XD Also, the incident in the flashback was the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520 in case someone's interested.

Okay, until next time! Thanks for reading and commenting!


	7. 1595

A/N: I did have some plan for the time between 1523 and the Thirty-year War, but whatever it was, I forgot it a long time ago. Whoops. So, I had to find something else to write about, and at first I thought it was hopeless. There were a lot of interesting things going on at the time, but nothing I could really use...then I read about the Cudgel War. Oh my God...It was pretty shocking, especially from the Hetalia POV, but I couldn't really ignore it after I learned about it. So, uh, please don't kill me? ^_^;

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 6: 1595**

* * *

_So, in the end you two escaped together. It was so nice to return back to the basics, even if he often seemed intimidated by you again. It didn't matter, you just wanted him to stay close to you and be happy. From time to times, you two really were happy He didn t really care for you calling him your wife, but other than that he seemed to return your affection, at least to some degree. It was like a dream come true to you... But nothing's ever quite as simple as it first seems...You faced many hardships, and while you never had to get through of them alone, they still wore you down. In fact, I might have been worse the way it was...Since Finland always fought at your side, he suffered too, sometimes even more than you. He did his best to cover it, but as time went by, he became more and more anxious. As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep his pain bottled up forever..._

* * *

Sweden lifted his eyes from the papers he had been reading and winced in pain. He clutched his head and squinted his eyes, hoping it would do something to help his headache, but no such luck. The whole situation was a mess; the war with Russia had finally ended, but there was still a chance he might try to pull a surprise attack on them, so they couldn't let their guard down. And then there was this...Sweden looked at the papers again. Even more misfortune with his superiors? Just great. It was time for some tough decisions.

Sweden signed one of the scrolls lying on his desk and rolled it up again. It was time to break ties with Poland. As he was reorganizing the documents he could hear a soft mumbling voice from behind him. Sweden quickly turned around, having forgotten he wasn't the only person in the room and thus alarmed, to see who had made the sound. He saw a short young man in dark clothes sleeping restlessly on an armchair. Sweden smiled sadly. All this fuss with his superiors and especially the long battle with Russia had really taken their toll on Finland, and he was clearly in just as much pain as he himself was. As much as he wanted to let him sleep, he couldn't allow it; the situation was too dangerous.

The bespectacled man walked to the armchair and gave the Finn a little nudge. He merely turned around, mumbling. From this distance Sweden could see that his was covered in sweat, and got worried. Maybe he was sick? He tried Finland's forehead just in case, but it felt just as cool as usually. Sweden frowned, wondering what was going on. He shook Finland again, a tad harder this time around, and finally he stirred up.

"O-oh, hello Su-san." The young man said shakily and slowly got up, leaning on the armchair for support.

"Y'okay?" Sweden asked, concerned. He had never seen Finland so exhausted before.

Finland shook his head in response and stood in front Sweden, his eyes downcast. "I'm just a little tired." he replied. "I'm sure it'll pass now that I'll get to rest." He gave Sweden a weak smile "So, what's been going on?"

Sweden sighed. If only they both really could rest...

"We'll still hav'ta get rid o' o'r sup'rior. P'land c'n keep 'im." He muttered.

Finland blinked and looked directly at him, suddenly a lot more alert. "Why? I like him." He asked.

Sweden looked away. "I don't."

"Oh." Finland replied sadly. "Does that mean more war?"

Sweden nodded "I think s'."

Finland sighed and collapsed back onto the chair. Sweden took half a step towards him before realizing there really wasn't anything he could do to comfort him. The times were tough, but they both would just have to endure them for a while still.

"F'nland..." He said quietly. Finland showed no signs of hearing him. He had closed his eyes again and was breathing arduously.

"I know 't's hard fer y'..." He continued.

"Then why can't you make it stop?" Finland suddenly snapped, and for the first time in a long while glowered at Sweden. He blinked, as if surprised by his own anger. "I-I'm sorry...I-it just hurts so much...I don't know how long I can take it anymore...Please..." He looked at Sweden pleadingly.

Sweden quickly looked away. Seeing the despair in Finland's eyes was more than he could take, especially since he knew what he would have to ask from him.

He slowly shook his head. "'M sorry, the'es n'thing I c'n do. Y'll j'st hav'ta t'ke it a littl' long'r." He muttered, doing the best he could to not directly look at the other man's face.

Finland slowly got up again, and Sweden could tell without looking that he was shivering. "What do you mean by that?" He asked his eyes wide open.

What should he tell him? That he feared Russia would try to attack him if let his guard down? That the political struggle might get out of hand if they didn't work together? There really was nothing he could say to ease his pain, but he had to try...

"F'nland..." He said, trying to grab his shoulder. The Finn pushed his hand away.

"Don't you understand?" He whispered, and Sweden could see tears in his eyes. "I've...I've done my best to help you no matter how much it has hurt... b-but I just can't take the pain anymore!" His voice suddenly rose into a scream. He bounced into Sweden and started hitting Sweden's with his small fists, sobbing whole the way through.

"Make it stop! Make it stop! P-please..." He suddenly burst into tears, and continued hitting Sweden. "It hurts so much... Please, make it stop!"

Sweden stared at him, bewildered. The strikes hurt, but that was the least of his problems. He had always hated seeing people cry, and seeing Finland cry was the worst. Knowing that he had partially caused it just made it worse. Usually, he was able to make him calm down without too much trouble, but this time...he wasn't so sure. Finland sounded so desperate...and worst of all; he just couldn't let him rest no matter how much he wanted to. He had to make this stop somehow.

He took hold of Finland and shook him, trying to get him snap out of it, but only made him wail harder. Sweden's panic grew. What if he couldn't make him stop? There was no time for this! They were already easy targets for enemies in their weakened state... He had to finish this now, somehow. Just no more tears.

He bit his lip. "F'nland!" He shouted, but no avail; if anything, the Finn just started shaking harder. Sweden started to sweat; he was running out of options. There was only one more thing he could think of...He readied his fist and took a deep breath...

He punched Finland right into the stomach, catching him off guard and emptying his lungs. The shorter man bent forward, gasping for air. Sweden caught him before he toppled down, and so he leaned to him he coughed and tried to catch a breath. After he had managed that he started silently crying again, with no more will to fight. He looked at Sweden, and he could see shock and...Fear in his red-rimmed eyes.

"I-I..." Sweden muttered, feeling tears welling in his eyes too. Finland was still sobbing. Sweden let go of him, and Finland backed off, staggering towards the doors, coughing and weeping the whole way.

Sweden was left standing in the middle of the room. He covered his mouth with his hand as he could feel tears wettening his own cheeks as well.

* * *

Sweden opened the door as quietly as possible and walked in. He couldn't make a lot in the dim light of the candle, but he could see a small figure lying on the edge of the bed. Even though the Finn was asleep, he was breathing unevenly and every once in a while started trembling. Sweden sighed in relief, before getting hit by the overwhelming sense of guilt. Of course Finland was still here, he didn't have any place else to go to, now did he, especially since Estonia now lived in the same building.

Sweden tried to convince himself it really had been the only option, but as he walked to the bed and looked at the young man tearstained face, he still felt awful. Would he ever forgive him? And could he forgive himself?

He carefully pushed Finland's fringe out of his eyes and stroked his hair. "I swe'r I'll m'ke th's up t' y'." he whispered. He got up and left, there were still a lot of issues he had to care of that night. When he closed the door he took one last peek inside. He wasn't sure whether he was imagining it or not, but it looked like Finland had started breathing a lot more evenly.

* * *

A/N: Just in case someone needs this info; the Cudgel War actually took place between 1595 and 1597 and not on just a single year. Now if you excuse me, I have to go and think about what on earth I just wrote. Until next chapter, thank you very much for reading.


	8. 1630

A/N: Yay, I didn't get lynched for the previous chapter! *celebrates* In fact, pretty much everyone seems to have liked it. Whew. It's good to know that now since there's a lot of drama ahead...Except not quite yet. =3

You see, this chapter was inspired by the fact that while Finland was a part of Sweden long before the 17th century and still quite a bit after, it was around then that the two were the closest to each other. In other words, extreme fluffiness ensues.

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 7: 1630**

* * *

_Neither of you mentioned his breakdown again. Luckily, he recovered from his stress fairly fast and seemed to have forgotten the whole incident. Or had he? One thing is for sure...You hadn't forgotten. You wanted to make it up to him somehow....You just wanted him to be happy and not having to suffer. So, you wanted to keep him safe. And what better way to keep him safe was there than to become more powerful? You fought many more battles with him always faithfully fighting by you side, and your fierce determination and skills bore fruit: your strength was getting widely recognized._

_Then your chance came: a long war between many other European nations had been raging on for quite some while. You and your superior decided to take a risk and head south, hoping to spread your influence even further..._

* * *

Sweden opened his eyes and stared into the clear blue sky above him. He slowly got up, surveying the area and trying to remember how he had gotten there in the first place. All he could see besides the sky were blurry shades of green, and he realized he must have somehow fallen asleep while relaxing on the meadow - and lost his glasses. He sighed and started searching the ground before realizing his glasses weren't the only thing missing.

"F'nland?" He called, confused. No reply. He hadn't been there alone, but somehow his companion had vanished without a trace. How long had he been sleeping?

"F'nland?" He called again, more and more distraught by the moment. Where had he gone?

"Su-san?" A distant voice replied. Sweden turned around, trying to locate the voice. He moved so fast his missing glasses -that ironically had been resting on his forehead - fell to the ground. Sweden swore under his breath and crouched down searching for them. He could hear the clip clop of hoofs as well as steps accompanying them approaching while doing so. He finally found his glasses, quickly grabbed them and placed them back where they belonged. He could now clearly see a blonde young man in full battle-gear leading a large brown horse towards Sweden.

"Su-san!" Finland called happily, waving at him.

"Wh're y'been?" Sweden called back, exasperated.

"I was just getting ready to go. I thought I told you." Finland had now reached Sweden and stood there smiling nervously, holding the horse's reins tightly.

Sweden racked his brain, quite certain that Finland hadn't said anything about preparations. He shrugged and decided not to care too much.

"So, y'r'dy n'w?" He then asked.

"Uh huh!" Finland replied smiling. "All set." He dropped his weaponry on the ground next to Sweden's, then reached out at his horse and stroked its rough mane.

"So, another war?" He asked, his eyes fixed on the beast.

"Yea." Sweden replied, not quite sure what Finland was thinking.

Finland nodded. "We've been having a lot of those lately, haven't we?"

He suddenly turned towards Sweden, beaming at him. "Let's do our best!" He said in a chipper tone.

Sweden blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected such a cheerful reply especially after so many wars in quick succession, despite knowing that the Finn wasn't exactly lost in battlefields. He was secretly amused by the shorter man's enthusiasm, but still felt worried. He should probably address the matter.

"Umh...M'ke s're y'd'nt...ov'r-do yerself..." He muttered, averting his eyes.

"Huh?" Finland blinked and stared at him, accidentally dropping the single rein he had been holding. Luckily, the horse didn't seem to care.

Sweden blushed. He hadn't really thought what to say now, and didn't want the situation to turn awkward.

"Th'rs be' a l't go'ng on 'nd 't must've be' t'ring fer y'too..." He mumbled.

"Oh." Finland looked a little miffed, but it wasn't long until his frown disappeared and he smiled again.

"Don't worry, I'll just do my share of the work." he said, before quietly adding "And...I-I don't want to be a burden."

Sweden frowned. "Yev nev'r be' a burdn." He muttered

Finland smiled weakly and shook his head. "I know I m weak compared to you, but..." He looked up, determined "...I'll do my best!" he looked directly at Sweden, seeming to have regained his cheerfulness.

Sweden felt touched. "Th't 's all I c'n 'sk fer." He said.

"We're in this together, right? Finland shyly took hold of Sweden's hand. Sweden could feel his pulse suddenly going up. "I'll always fight on your side." Finland said quietly, as if more to himself than to Sweden.

Sweden was at a loss of words. He wanted to tell his friend how grateful he was for his help and how much he cared for him, but the words just didn't seem to come out. He was annoyed by himself. Why did this always happen when he least wanted it to? There had to be some way for him to tell Finland how he felt...Suddenly he knew exactly what to do.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around body, pulling him closer to himself. The younger man gave a surprised yelp.

"S-Su-san?" He blurted, his voice muffled. "A-Are you sure this is a good time..." Sweden merely hugged him tighter in reply. After a moment or two he could feel Finland relaxing and carefully hugging him back with one arm, his other hand resting on Sweden's arm.

Sweden opened his eyes and noticed that Finland was looking at him too, his wide purple eyes half closed and foggy.

"Su-san..." he whispered and closed his eyes. Sweden smiled faintly and slowly leaned towards him.

After a brief moment they pulled away. Finland looked him in the eye for a second before quickly turning his head away, unable to hide how flushed he was. Sweden let go of him, trying to avoid embarrassing the Finn any other and felt his own cheeks redden as well. He closed his eyes and savored the pleasant feeling of warmth that had spread into his body.

"Technicolor Cod Fanfare!!"

Sweden snapped out of his thoughts and turned around, baffled. What on earth had Finland just said? He was even more surprised to find out the younger man was addressing the _horse _of all things.

"You we're looking at us the whole time, weren't you?" Finland asked the horse angrily. The oddly-named beast turned its head away. "Don't try pulling that one on me! I saw you staring earlier!" he turned towards Sweden, red as a beetroot. "Umm..."

Sweden did his best to maintain his normal expression in order to avoid nerving Finland any further, despite wanting to laugh at the ridiculous scene. His attempt to keep his amusement hidden must have made him look even more stern than usual, for Finland winced and took a step backwards. Sweden noticed this and quickly tried to change his expression less scary.

"T'chncolor C'd Fanfar'?" Sweden asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, yes. I thought the name suited him." Finland answered, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"Ok." He nodded. Finland sure gave things strange names. He still looked embarrassed, so Sweden decided leaving the meadow now was the best choice.

"Let's g'" He muttered.

"Ah." Finland said, seemingly relieved by the idea. "Yes, we're in a hurry soon."

Sweden turned around and started walking towards the stables in order to get his own horse, before remembering that it was already waiting with his troops and turning around again, walking away briskly with Finland and Technicolor Cod Fanfare following right behind him.

They stayed mostly silent during the way with Finland occasionally making brief remarks of everything between heaven and earth, as was his habit whenever he was nervous. Soon they could see the army in distance, already waiting for them.

"So, r'dy?" Sweden asked.

Finland smiled. "Of course." he moved the reins to his left hand and held the right one out. Sweden grabbed it and squeezed it gently as they walked towards their troops.

* * *

A/N: Obviously, safety wasn't the only reason for the various wars going on at the time (mercantilism ftw!), but for the sake of the fic and my sanity let's just imagine it was so. Ehehe.

Also, more Wikipedia fun, a quote from 1634: "_No one, who is not living inside the separate and old borders of Sweden and Finland, have anything to say at _Riksdags_ and other meetings..."_

Lol, Sweden treated his wife special. =3. I don't think Estonia and Latvia thought it was fair though. XD Once again, thank you for reading. Until next time. ^^


	9. 1697

A/N: Hiya! I actually had trouble finishing this one in time, since ironically I'm sick too. Bleh. Not that that's gonna stop me from writing this fic (I'm planning to get it done before Christmas.). XD At least the fic's not why I'm sick (that's more than can be said about its effect on what little was left of a sensible sleeping rhythm though =P).

Special thanks to Ruusu for providing me with all the historical material for this chapter (I was able to find next to nothing myself. FAIL.), as well as for being such an awesome person overall. ^^

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 8: 1697**

* * *

_Your courage and wit was rewarded, and with some hired mercenaries and the generous help of France you we're able to build an empire. And a marvelous empire it was. You were feared and respected... In a way, now you were the king of the north. But everything that goes up must go down at some point too....trust me, I know._

_But before we get ahead of ourselves, there's something else you surely remember...For the longest time, the climate had been changing and General Winter was becoming both more powerful and threatening. Then one year, his strength became overwhelming..._

_Finland had always been a little sickly, so you didn't think too much of it in the first place. When you finally realized what was going on however, it was already too late..._

* * *

Sweden walked to the salon, sighing and holding his head. The gnawing hunger was more than enough to make him miserable, especially when combined with the bitter cold outside. Luckily, he had just enough time to take a small nap before the next meeting...

He scanned the room trying to find a suitable place to sit at and realized someone was already in the room, lying down on the couch. He quickly walked up to it, alarmed. It couldn't be...He hadn't tried getting up again, had he?

The person turned out to be, as he had expected, Finland, his eyes closed and face as pale as the snow outside. He appeared to be asleep, but by the look on his face Sweden could tell his sleep was all but easy.

"F'nland!" He shouted, reaching out for the Finn and shaking him, trying to wake him. The sleeping man quivered and slightly opened his eyes.

"S-Su-san?" Finland mumbled groggily, lifted his head to look at him and winced in pain. "Is something wrong?

"You got o't o' bed agen?" Sweden asked. "Wh'?"

"Oh...I have to do my share o-of the work too..." He muttered in reply, attempting to sit straight and failing miserably.

Sweden frowned. Did he really think he could work in that condition?

"Y'need ta g' back t' bed." he said flatly. Finland stared at him with an absent-minded look in his eyes, then nodded and tried to get up. He got into a sitting position, but after a few feeble attempts to stand collapsed back to the couch.

"Umm... I don't think I can get up right now..." He mumbled, looking away. "Just a second, I'll try again..." He clenched his teeth and got ready to try again, but Sweden set his hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

"Dun worry." He muttered and took a deep breath. He carefully scooped Finland into his arms. He didn't even try to protest, but simply leaned to Sweden's chest. He felt lighter than before, and a whole lot warmer too. Sweden carefully carried him to the bedroom.

He laid Finland down on the bed and tucked him under a soft woolen blanket. Finland mumbled something that sounded like a thank you and closed his eyes. Sweden sighed and sat onto the bed next to him, still concerned.

How on earth would he be able to solve this...? He wasn't feeling too good either and wasn't sure he would be able to both take care of Finland and stand the gnawing hunger. Estonia was seriously ill and Latvia seemed to be in pain too. In fact, so did everyone else living close by. But this...

He reached out and tried Finland's forehead. It was drenched in sweat and as warm as a fireplace.

"Ooh...Your hand is so cold it burns." Finland said groggily and opened his eyes. Sweden quickly withdrew his hand and leaned away.

"'M sry." He mumbled.

"It's not your fault. General Winter is just being too harsh..."

Sweden shook his head. He hadn't meant that, but the fact he was too sick himself to help the poor Finn.

"Please, it's okay..." Finland trembled, sweating profusely. His eyes glazed over.

Sweden knew it wasn't okay; now matter how hard the situation had been, the two had always been able to manage it somehow. This time...Finland had fought back at the beginning, but... he was getting too weak for even that. If anything, that scared Sweden the most, even more than the despair in his dear friend's eyes.

Why couldn't he see it in the first place? He had tried to help when he noticed Finland was getting sick, but he hadn't seen how severe the situation was going to be...

* * *

_"Su-san?"_

_Sweden looked up and saw a blonde young man approaching._

_"Can I ask you something?" he asked. Sweden thought there was a glint of something unusual in his eyes, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He nodded._

_"Umm...do you think you can...give me some extra food? I wouldn't ask, but..." Finland paused for a while and closed his eyes "...I don't think I have enough for the next winter...I-I only need a little more though." He tried to sound cheerful, but Sweden could see sweat glistening on his forehead. Something was wrong._

_Sweden focused and examined the younger man carefully. He looked perfectly normal otherwise besides the strange glint in his eyes...except that when Sweden squinted his eyes, he could see he was shuddering, if only slightly._

_"Y' dun haf'ta act..." He mumbled slowly._

_"Huh?" Finland blinked, fazed._

_"Yer sick." Sweden had meant it as a question, but in the end it was posed as a statement._

_Finland stared at him his mouth hanging open. His shoulders slumped. "You could tell?"_

_Sweden nodded. Finland had put up a fairly convincing act, but not quite good enough to fool him. After all, it wasn't like he didn't know him well enough to tell when he was lying._

_"Um...well..." Finland was shivering more clearly now. "Is it okay? Just a little bit, nothing to worry about..."_

_"Of co'rse."_

_"Thank you..." Finland walked past Sweden and his hand briefly brushed his as he walked by. Sweden stared after him, concerned, especially after seeing how unsure and wobbly his steps were..._

* * *

If only he had known how sick he really was...

Sweden shuddered at a sudden surge of pain and pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping it would make his headache cede. His own sickness was a burden enough, and made taking care of the situation even worse. He glanced at Finland, but he seemed to have lost consciousness and was completely oblivious of the world around him. Sweden gulped, feeling a different, even more unpleasant feeling than hunger in his stomach.

What if he wouldn't survive? _No,_ He tried to assure himself, _of course he will survive_; it was unheard of a nation to die like this. But knowing that didn't make having to look at him suffering any easier, especially not after he had done his best to protect him...But one couldn't be protected from winter, not really...The forces of nature always outmatched even the most powerful nations...

If only winter would end soon...before that it was hopeless...

Sweden wished he could stay by Finland's side for as long as needed just in case, but knew he had business to attend and that he was already late. He hastily got up - and bent over briefly due to sudden dizziness - before turning towards Finland and giving him a light peck on the forehead. Finland mumbled something incomprehensible and for a second Sweden thought he might be awake after all, but after getting no further response realized the Finn was still in the land of fever-induced dreams. He sighed, adjusted the blanket and left the room.

_Oh please, please let spring come already..._

* * *

A/N: Seriously, between 1695 and 1697 30% of the Finnish population at the time died due to famine and diseases. 30%? I know Finland is a tiny country and that is was even smaller back then, but damn. That's just insane. Also, 20% of Estonia's population died at the time too. Poor Finland-kun and poor Estonia-kun. And it's only going to get worse...Well, not really, but the beginning of the 18th century sure wasn't easy to Sweden and co.... but I'm getting ahead of myself here. Time will tell. ^_~

Another thanks to Ruusu because she deserves it, as well as to everyone else reading this sentence for reading this fic (wow, that wasn't redundant at all =D;). Thanks and see you soon! ^_^


	10. 1709

A/N: Here we go again! It's time for the Great Northern War, something I've been looking forward to ever since I started writing this fic. That also means it gets two chapters all for itself (or three depending how you count it). I hope you'll enjoy it! ^^

Like I've said before, I'm trying really hard to get ABYS finished by Christmas and at this speed it looks like the epilogue will be posted on...Christmas Day. Oops. I guess I just have to write faster then XD (But I'm getting awful headaches due to spending so much time on the computer already! *sob* It ain't easy being a writer...)

Anyway, on with the show! As always, all comments will be highly appreciated.

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 9: 1709**

* * *

_So, where were we? Ah, yes...The height of your power... You had built a glorious empire, but at the expense of gaining many enemies...Not everyone was pleased with your success, on the contrary. They still held grudges against you..._

_Remember you shocked you were when you first heard Denmark, Poland, and Russia had formed an alliance? It hadn't been completely unexpected, but even so the situation had taken a turn to the worse._

_Of course, you or your superior weren't willing to just take it. You managed to stop Denmark and strike a weakening blow on Russia. It could have ended then, but...You lost time defeating Poland, and Russia managed to regain his strength and more, as well as take Estonia and Latvia to his house... Your superior decided to attack Russia again, and you, out of options had no choice but to follow him..._

* * *

"Su-san! Look! More smoke!" Finland jumped off his horse's back and dashed forward, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the destruction. Sweden slowly got off his own horse and walked to him. The small village had been burned down only recently; some of the ruins were still smoking, even if the freezing cold north wind had already put the fires off. There wasn't a person in sight.

Again...They were already running low on supplies, and this only made it harder to continue. Sweden sighed.

"Sc'rched e'rth..." He mumbled. Russia sure knew what he was doing. He couldn't shake the feeling they were being led into a trap. Yes, a trap...and they had already walked into it. The net was getting tighter too; they couldn't turn back without taking a huge risk, and they most certainly couldn't stay long here in this abandoned land. If only he had attacked when they had a chance...but no, his superior insisted on taking Poland and Lithuania down first. While that had worked out just fine, he now had to face Russia again, more powerful and dangerous than ever...But all wasn't lost: if they kept pushing forward, they just might be able to cut the ropes and free themselves from the net...

Finland had been examining the ruins closer and now walked back to him. "It's no use, everything's burned down." He said sighing and coughed.

"Y'kay?" Sweden asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Finland replied and smiled faintly. "It's just a little cold." He looked into the distance.

We're resting here tonight?" He asked his eyes fixed on the depressing view.

Sweden nodded. The air was indeed chilly, and as the evening grew darker the temperature dropped. There was no point to proceed today, no matter how unwelcoming this place was. The soldiers for the most were already setting up tents and trying to build fires with the little wood they had left at this point, but the cold breeze made the task exceptionally arduous.

Sweden turned away and rubbed his forehead, hoping it would soothe his increasingly bad headache. It didn't work. Oh well, he had felt worse.

"Su-san!!"

Sweden quickly turned around to face Finland; he had sounded frightened for some reason.

"Something...forceful... Can you feel it?" Finland asked, looking both alert and fearful.

Sweden closed his eyes and focused. At first he felt nothing out of ordinary, but after a brief moment of silent concentration he felt a chilling sensation starting from his feet, giving him goosebumbs as it spread into his body. He opened his eyes as it reached his head, but the sensation didn't leave. Even the air felt heavier. Sweden tensed; there was definitely something out of ordinary going on.

"Y'know wh't 't 's?" He asked.

Finland shook his head. He too closed his eyes, only to re-open them a moment later and frown.

"I'm not sure, but..." he said hesitantly "It feels...familiar, somehow." He shook his head, "No, it can't be." he finally said, but despite that still looked unsure.

Sweden pondered his words. It was possible that Russia and his army had stopped fleeing and were planning a surprise attack, but still, it was highly unlikely. Even so, who else could it be in this cold and now desolated place? Except that...the strange presence had felt familiar to him too...

His thoughts were interrupted by Finland gasping and taking a step backwards, pointing at something far away. "Look!" He yelped.

Sweden turned and stared into the distance, hoping to see what Finland was so alarmed of. He couldn't see anything remarkable at the direction Finland was pointing at; in fact, the only thing he could see at all was snow softly falling. He squinted his eyes. Still, nothing. Sweden frowned. What was going on?

A sudden gust of wind cold as ice blew past them, making Sweden shiver and his mantle flutter. He looked at the direction where it had come from and his eyes widened in surprise: there was a tiny area not too far away where the snow was falling all but softly... In fact, as he looked at the spot it quickly turned into a miniature blizzard, the air thick with heavy snow. Sweden couldn't believe his eyes. Still, the snowy tornado was clearly there, and it was growing, too. And...It almost looked like there was a person standing in the center of the snowstorm. The blizzard grew larger and larger, Sweden became sure of it; there really was a dark figure approaching them inside it. As it got closer and the sound of howling wind became almost unbearable Sweden started seeing the figure in more detail; tattered, battle-worn clothes fluttering around in the wind, rusty armor and a heavy helmet covered in snow, and black eyes as piercing as icicles and colder than death itself...

"G-General Winter?" Finland winced, his eyes wide open "But...But...I thought..." He staggered, clearly at a loss of words. "I thought... he was on our side too..."

Sweden merely stared. He was shocked; he had known General Winter protected Russia, but even then, he hadn't been expecting him to attack them. What to do? They were helpless in this barren area and extremely vulnerable to all attacks. Even if they had been better prepared for combat, General Winter couldn't be fought with swords and spears...

He looked at his side and saw how stricken Finland was; his mouth was still hanging open and he was quivering. Sweden couldn't tell whether it was out of cold or fear, or both. He set him hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him one way or another.

"W' c'n't run a'ay." He said matter-of-factly.

"No, we can't." Finland took a deep breath. He then looked up, his eyes brimming was resolution.

"Since we can't run or fight him, the only thing we can do is to stay right here and stand our ground." he said.

Sweden didn't reply, only slightly surprised by his comrade's determination. He knew he was right; cowering in fear or hopelessly attempting to flee wasn't an option; the best thing they could do was to keep their head held high and take everything General Winter would dish at them. He turned to his troops. Many of the men looked alarmed, but none of them had panicked at the sight of the impending attack. He nodded.

"We'll jest hafta w'it." He said. The blizzard was still growing stronger and whatever Finland's response was, it was muffled by the howling of the wind.

Sweden braced himself. No matter what, the attack would be absolute torment. Still, there was no reason to not face it head held high and proud. He looked at Finland; his hair and light blue mantle fluttered in the wind, and while there was fear in his eyes, they were burning with the same determination he felt in his chest.

Sweden tightened his grab and pulled Finland closer to himself. He could feel the Finn's heartbeat even through their clothes and bodies; it was slow and calm. It was the last thing he remembered feeling before the snowstorm hit them full on, obscuring Sweden's vision and filling his ears with the sound of gusting wind.

* * *

A/N: Seriously, Poland (avec Lithuania), Russia, and Denmark (avec Norway) all ganging up against Sweden & co.? That sounds kinda...unfair. (Oh, and Prussia and other smaller German countries joined the fray towards the end. Basically, half the Europe was against Sweden. Aww =(...)

Anyway, the Great Northern War is made of awesome (as far as wars go at least). I'm not sure how well I'm able to describe it in this fic especially since I'm only writing a few selected scenes (seriously, it deserves at least one fic all to itself (I won't be writing it though, at least not in quite a while)), but I hope I did okay.

On aside note, I really hope Charles XII was mad. It would explain so much _...But more of that later. Thanks for reading and see you! ^^


	11. 1718

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 10: 1718**

* * *

I'm sorry, my king. I can't follow you any further...You've gone too far...way too far...I want to turn back. I have to turn back. I don't care anymore. I...I want to see him again. I don't care about having an empire anymore, I just want him back. Please...I miss him so. I can still hear him calling for me sometimes from somewhere far away. He sounds so scared...I can't take it anymore.

If only I had been able to put it into words and tell you how much he meant to me, maybe things would have been different then...

* * *

_Sweden drummed his fingers on the table. He had been waiting for quite a while now, and was getting anxious. They had already wasted too much time._

_He heard commotion from the corridor outside the room and got on his feet. Could it be...?_

_The door burst open and a confident-looking man dressed in blue clothes dusty from the long journey stepped in. He spotted Sweden and walked towards him, a faint smile on his face. The other men he had been talking with bowed and disappeared._

_"Yer back!" Sweden exclaimed, unsure whether to believe his eyes or not. He gave a short bow._

_"I am." His king smiled and looked around. "It's good to be home."_

_Sweden merely stared at him, relieved, but also angry. After he and Finland had been beaten up by Russia, the king had vanished, with the hope of finding new allies far away. But as he had been gone the situation had taken turn to the worst...they had been overwhelmed by enemies, and now they were at the brink of destruction._

_"Why didn't y'come home earlier? He asked, trying to keep his voice nonchalant._

_"Oh, that..." The king scratched the back of his head and looked bored. "Let's just say I had some trouble with Turkey's superior." He sighed. "My plan didn't exactly work."_

_Sweden shrugged. Fine, it didn't really matter at this point. The present situation was much more urgent._

_"Y'know th' s'tu'tion?" He asked._

_The king looked at him, his expression serious "The counselors did tell me some of it, but you can go ahead and fill in the rest."_

_Sweden nodded and sighed. This wasn't going to be easy._

_"D'nmark 'nd P'land 're fighting us agen." He said slowly "We lost...'stonia and L'tvia...'nd we're n'r l'sing the German 'reas ta Pr'ssia." The king nodded. Sweden looked away and swallowed. "F'nland's gone, too. R'ssia..." He didn't continue; saying it still hurt too much._

_"I see..." The king said. He didn't look directly at him, but instead stared at a painting hanging on the wall in gilded frames._

_"W' c'n't fight anym're." Sweden said flatly to break the prolonged silence._

_"Hmm?" The king turned to look at him, and for the first time since his return looked surprised. "We'll naturally have to keep defending the areas we're still controlling, right?" Sweden nodded in reply. "What about the regions we have lost?" What do you expect me to do if not fight for them?"_

_"M'ke peace." Sweden sighed. He wasn't used to giving up either, but this time there was too much on stake. And if they made peace with Russia, then maybe..._

_"Oh? And what will happen to your status as an empire then?"_

_"W''ll get...at l'st F'nland back..."_

_"Well, that's given; he has always lived in this house. But what about the rest?"_

_Sweden shook his head._

_"It d'snt m'tter an'mor'." The king raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but Sweden didn't let it distract him. "'f we d'n't st'p...W' m'ght l'se ev'ryth'ng..." He bit his lip, not sure how to convince the king without revealing too much of his feelings for Finland. Time to play the death card. "'nd I m'ght di'." He finally added._

_"Really? You're worried about that?" The king asked and sat on the velvet armchair close to the fireplace. He looked directly at Sweden, frowning. "I would never let you die! Trust me; I'm only thinking about your future here."_

_Sweden looked down. "Sry." He mumbled._

_The king waved his hand in response. "Don't worry, I'll solve this situation." He leaned backwards and crossed his arms, looking thoughtful._

_Sweden leaned into the wall, feeling uncomfortable. He knew his king would never knowingly harm him, but still..._

_After the longest moment the king spoke again "I've done my decision."_

_Sweden looked up, eager to hear what he had to say, while also dreading it._

_"We'll of course keep protecting all the areas still in our control."_

_Sweden nodded, having expected nothing else._

_"Besides that...whose fault is all this in the first place?"_

_Sweden frowned. Where-ever this was leading, it couldn't be good._

_"I'll tell you; Denmark's. He's still holding a grudge against you, right?"_

_Sweden nodded, feeling a strange and unpleasant feeling in his stomach. He tried to pay it no attention._

_"So, if this is all his fault, we need to take revenge on him. And what better way to do that than to take Norway from him?" the King looked up at Sweden, his eyes gleaming._

_Sweden froze in the spot. Exactly what had he just said?_

_"Y'mean..." he said slowly, praying he had misunderstood the king's words._

_"What I mean is that if we bring Norway to your house, we'll have the advantage when it comes to making peace treaties." Was the reply._

_Sweden's jaw dropped. The king looked confused._

_"Is something wrong?"_

_"We're...still gunna fight?" Sweden staggered._

_The king frowned. "Yes, of course. Do you really think I'd let you be humiliated without retorting? Once we capture Norway, the situation will be completely different! We still have enough men for that, right?"_

_"But..." Sweden staggered "Wh' ab't F'nland?"_

_The king looked away. "We're not strong enough to take on Russia anymore. He'll have to wait. He's a tough little thing, it'll be okay."_

_Sweden clenched his fists, but didn't say anything._

_"So, Norway it is. We'll show them what Sweden and King Charles XII are made of!"_

* * *

No, not anymore. This is it. I have to put end to this madness. Now.

I'm so sorry...

* * *

Sweden readied his musket and looked up into the sky, praying for forgiveness.

* * *

A/N: Welcome to speculoville! Umm...yeah, the exact circumstances of Charles XII's death are not in fact known, and the more popular theories usually involve him getting shot by a Norwegian soldier... BUT there is a possible theory of him being assassinated by someone on his own side (he was quite unpopular by the time ^^;). Naturally, that works far better for this fic, so let's say it's true, shall we? (Just don't go and write it into a school test or something (and make sure you don't say it was because of Sweden's love for Finland or something either! =D))

Also, I don't know if Charles XII was mad or not, but it would make a lot sense since he really WAS a great strategist and all...At least at the beginning of the war (omg, the battle of Narva is just too epic. =O). Hmm...Whatever the case, he sure did screw up royally (well okay, the odds were seriously against him, but still... plzdon'tkillmeh. ^^;)

Pfft, I still feel silly for having the chapter title say 1718 when it's basically all a flashback from 1715, but eh. =D

So, thanks for reading and don't hesitate to comment. See you again soon! ^^


	12. 1721

A/N: Another chapter up! Oh boy, I don't really know what to say about this one...except that somehow, it became the longest chapter up to date. Huh. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 11: 1721**

* * *

_So, it was almost over. You were stripped from most of your powers and influence and some of your opponents' strength rose into new heights at your expense. Your pride was terribly injured, but it really matter to you as much as peace anymore... that is, peace and a certain someone..._

_So, there was only one matter left unresolved. You never thought not having him around could be so crushing, did you? After all, it wasn't like you had never been alone before...but no, you couldn't stop missing him._

_Fortunately, once you made peace with Russia, he was willing to return him to you..._

* * *

Another warm summer day had almost come to an end. The sun was still up, but was already moving towards west, illuminating the grass and flowers blossoming by the side of the road with warm yellow glow. The air was mild, and only the slightest fresh breeze was blowing. A lone squirrel hopped around looking for food, spotted a tall person in blue leaning into a large boulder close to the road, chattered and quickly bounced further away.

Sweden didn't pay the squirrel any attention. He adjusted his cape, and looked around anxiously, too distressed to enjoy the lovely evening. This was the meeting place, right? It was getting late already... Maybe he had come to the wrong place after all? The thought made him even more worried. What should he do now?

"Su-san..."

He gave a jolt and looked up, bewildered. He thought he had heard a familiar voice calling for him, but wasn't sure whether he had just imagined it or not. He looked around again, but couldn't see anything out of ordinary and sighed. His yearning to see the fair-haired young man again must had made him hear things. Still, it had sounded so real...Could it really be...?

"Su-san!"

He straightened up again. This time was sure he hadn't imagined it. How he had missed that voice...He had come to the real place after all.

He stared towards the hay field where he thought the voice had come from. And indeed, there was a young blonde man dressed in blue and white running towards him as fast as he could through the thick hay, with a taller man wearing white clothes and a scarf not too far behind, walking much more slowly.

Sweden wanted to shout something in reply, but was at a loss of words. Instead, he took a few steps forward and spread his arms, waiting for Finland to reach him.

"Su-san!!" Finland called again, somehow managing to increase his speed even further, his cheeks red from the effort. He finally reached the road and bumped into Sweden with such force it almost threw him off balance. Sweden quickly leaned forward and grabbed the smaller man into his arms, embracing him. Finland buried his face into his chest and hugged him back.

"You're alright...Thank goodness..." He whispered.

Sweden closed his eyes and hugged Finland as close to him as possible, listening to his heavy breathing. The rest of the world could that frozen right to the spot for all he cared... All that mattered was that Finland was in his arms again. He opened his eyes and examined the young man he was clutching. His clothes had been damaged during his absence and there were a few minor injuries to be seen, but other than that he seemed to be okay. The only other thing out of ordinary were the tears streaming down his cheeks. Sweden loosened his grip, startled.

"Yer crying."

"Ah, it's nothing." Finland leaned backwards and wiped his eyes in his sleeve. "I'm just..." He leaned back into Sweden's chest, his voice trailing off.

"Y'hurt?" He mumbled, worried.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry." He whispered back.

Sweden stroked his hair gently, trying to solve a few knots in his hair with his fingers. He suddenly paused, only now remembering that they weren't alone and looked up. He saw Russia standing not too far away, looking at them with a curious expression Sweden didn't quite recognize on his face. He soon noticed that Sweden was staring at him, and at that set the bag he had been carrying on the ground and left, his white scarf fluttering behind him.

Sweden loosened his grip on Finland. The younger man straightened up, still clutching the edge of Sweden's cape.

"L't's go h'me." Sweden mumbled.

Finland nodded and smiled weakly. He walked to where Russia had been standing and took the bag lying on the ground, before running back to Sweden and leaving towards west with him, hand to hand.

* * *

"Huh, the house is quite small now." Finland said as he left his bag on the floor and looked around his old home. "Actually, it's almost like back when I first moved here, isn't it?" He smiled and sat on his favorite seat, the wooden bench next to window, one of the few pieces of furniture still left from back then.

"Yea." Sweden said. The house was indeed smaller than he was used to, but even then it still had felt too big for one person. Everything had been so quiet with no-one else around. It had been long since he had last really lived alone, and while it had been fine at the time, he now knew he couldn't go back into it. When there wasn't anyone to share his life with, it felt so empty, as empty and cold as the house had been...

But none of that mattered now. He wasn't alone anymore, and if he could do anything about it he'd never be again, either. He may have lost a lot, but at least he still had Finland with him.

The thought reminded him of the other two who had lived in their house not too long ago. They had been left with Russia now...

"How w're th' 'thers?" He asked.

"I don't know, I only saw them a few times after...well." Finland sighed. "I hope they're alright." He said, sounding concerned.

"'M su'e th'y are." Sweden said quietly, hoping to comfort him. Finland didn't reply, looking slightly downcast. Sweden cursed under his breath. He most certainly hadn't wanted to depress the Finn as the first thing after he got back home.

"Y'need an'hing?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh...umm...I'd like to go to sauna if that's okay." Finland replied. He rubbed his left forearm. "I really need a wash." He raised his arm to show Sweden the dirt stains on his shirt and smiled.

Sweden frowned. There was something strange in Finland's demeanor.

"Are y'rly ok?" He asked.

"Huh?" Finland blinked a few times, startled. He sighed. "I'm really fine. Don't worry."

Sweden nodded, still not fully convinced. "I'll warm th' s'na up fer y'."

"Thank you..." Finland took a deep breath and turned away.

Sweden glanced towards Finland, who in turn was staring out of the window, apparently marveling the beautiful scenery outside. His hands rested on the windowsill and the sunset outside gave his hair a red tint. Sweden blinked in surprise: the memory of Finland looking out of the very same window so many years ago came to his mind without searching. Life had been so much simpler back then...maybe they'd be able to return to basics now...

He lifted his head at a strange sound. Apparently Finland hadn't noticed he was still in the room and had sobbed lightly. Sweden tilted his head to see his face that had been partially obscured by his arm properly, but when he did his heart skipped a beat: Finland wasn't crying, but the deep sorrow welling in his eyes was something he had never seen in them before, not even during their darkest years together.

Sweden had no idea how to react, and found himself just standing there, dumbfounded. Finland looked so small and vulnerable...and for some reason, the look in his eyes was heart-breaking. Sweden quickly left the room to fetch firewood.

* * *

"Ok, th' s'na sh'uld b' w'rm now." Sweden said to Finland after a long silence.

"Thank you." Finland said in a chipper tone and left the room. Sweden saw no hints of his earlier anxiety, but could hint certain nervousness in him. How very odd...Maybe he was just exhausted from the long journey back home and thus feeling a little melancholic and absent-minded? That would also explain why he forgot to take his towel with him to the sauna...

Sweden paused, blinking. The towel? That's right; Finland's towel was still here, right next to where he had been sitting. Sweden got up and grabbed it. He should probably go and take it to Finland.

He went to get his shoes and left for the small cabin outside. He slid the door open carefully and peeked in. Finland was in there, slowly undressing and humming quietly to himself. He was still wearing most of his clothes, but not quite enough to stop Sweden from seeing the numerous scars and wounds on his bare upper body.

Sweden froze into the doorway, horrorstruck, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. He felt dizzy. What on earth had happened? He realized he couldn't just stand there, especially not if he wanted some answers and slammed the door open.

Finland flinched in surprise when he barged in. "S-Su-san?" He yelped, reaching for his shirt and covering his chest with it. He backed towards the wall behind him.

Sweden stepped fiercely towards him. Finland winced at the fire flaring in his eyes.

"Wh're'd y'get thos'?" Sweden slowly asked, unsure how to continue.

"Ah?" Finland's mouth opened slightly, and he stared at Sweden, looking extremely nervous.

"Thos'...sc'rs..." he said, pointing at Finland's shirt-covered chest. Finland looked down at it, his shoulders slumping.

"They...are nothing. You don't have to worry. Please..." Finland said pleadingly and took another step backwards, his back bumping into the wooden wall. He seemed to shrink.

Sweden felt the fire inside him burning down and being replaced with sadness. He walked to the Finn and took the shirt from him hands.

Sweden touched one of the more visible scars. Finland winced and pulled away.

"How?" Sweden asked. There were so many of them... "I th'ght y'sed it was ok..."

"It's really...my own fault." Finland looked away.

"Wha'?" Sweden's eyes widened.

"I...I tried to fight back." Finland still wouldn't look him in the eyes. His voice sounded strangely emotionless. Sweden felt goose bumps running through his back.

Sweden grabbed him by the shoulders and had him sit on bench by the wall. Finland had started to shake, so he wrapped the towel he was still carrying around him, hoping to keep him warm.

"L't's' see... he muttered and started examining the younger man. There were more scars than he could count. He shuddered, not even wanting to imagine what they had looked like when the wounds had been still fresh, let alone how much they must have hurt. Fortunately, most of the wounds were old and had started to grow faint already. However, some of the nastier ones were still fully visible, and on his right arm there were some clear scorch marks.

"Do th'y hurt?" he asked softly. Finland shook his head.

"Not anymore." He said in a toneless voice, his eyes fixed on the ground. Sweden couldn't take it anymore; he clutched the Finn against his chest.

"Huh?" He yelped, snapping away from his trance.

Sweden only hugged him tighter, hoping to convey how sorry he was through the embrace. To his relief, Finland seemed to understand it.

"It's not your fault." he whispered softly.

Sweden shook his head, but still didn't say anything.

"Please, it's okay. Really! All that matters..." Finland hugged him back clumsily. "...is that it's over now."

Sweden was touched, but still couldn't shake the guilty and queasy feeling. Even now that he listened to Finland's soft breathing and felt his warm body against his, a dark thought crossed his mind.

_How long will I still be able to protect him?_

* * *

A/N: So let me get this straight: between years 1695 and 1721, Finland suffered from famine, participated in a huge war with Sweden (and lost tons of men in it I suppose), got seized by Russia, who treated him REALLY badly and on top of that suffered from the plague? Holy crap. Poor, poor Finland-kun! The "has suffered the most hardships out of the Nordics" -bit sure wasn't a joke. O_O;

As I said earlier, I don't want to antagonize Russia too much, but oh Russia-baby, you make it way too easy! ^_^;;; He really did treat Finland horribly during his occupation between 1714 and 1721 (The time period is tellingly known as the Greater Wrath ^_^;). Interestingly though, the most awful people in charge of it was originally Swedish. Thaaaat's right, Mr. Gustaf Otto Douglas. If Wikipedia is to be trusted, he was a complete monster. Ugh. _

Anyway, as per usual I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you again soon! ^^


	13. 1743

A/N: Here we go again! This time...Nah, I'm too tired to think about something intelligent to say. XD Let's just say this is the last chapter before 1809, so I hope it's good enough and that I didn't make Finland too weepy. Hope you enjoy it! Reviews are highly appreciated as usual. ^^;

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 12: 1743**

* * *

_If only things could have stayed like that...But nothing's ever quite that easy. Pride is such a dangerous sentiment...You wanted to get revenge for all that had happened to you and him...And so you two marched into another war. But by then, Russia's strength was already on a different level to yours, and you were overwhelmed. You had to flee, and Finland was taken away from you. Again. How is it that no matter how you never wanted him to suffer, yet it always seemed to happen? Not that I'm trying to blame you, I know you regret it all whenever you look him in the eyes..._

_Back then, you were able to get him back for a price... but how long could you still afford it and how long would Russia tolerate it? And how many more times could Finland take it before finally breaking?_

* * *

This time around, everything went much more courteously. Russia actually escorted Finland to the meeting place by hand and nodded at Sweden.

"So, here's my part of the deal." He said and smiled. Sweden didn't say anything as Russia shook Finland's bag off his back and handed it over to him. He then smiled at the fair-haired man whose hand he was still holding. Sweden extended his arm and Russia placed the Finn's hand on his hand. He grabbed it and Finland quickly slipped away from the taller man and to his side, clutching his arm. Sweden looked at him, but he kept his head hanging low, obscuring his face. Sweden then looked at Russia, his purple eyes so similar and yet so different to those of his partner. He was still smiling, but Sweden couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Ok." He mumbled, unable to take his gaze away from those piercing eyes.

"So, it's settled then." Russia's grin widened. Sweden spotted a strange gleam in his eyes and had to focus his willpower to avoid taking a step backwards. He wasn't completely sure what it was, but couldn't shake the feeling there was something...un-natural in it. Sweden soon regained his composure and glared at him grimly. Russia didn't seem to mind, but merely giggled in response.

"We'll meet again then." He waved and left.

Sweden looked away and started paying attention to the young man whose hand he was holding. Finland hadn't said a word during the whole time, and still remained silent.

"Y'okay?" Sweden asked carefully.

Finland nodded. "I'm fine." He said in a monotonous voice. Sweden frowned. The Finn didn't seem to be injured, but something was very clearly wrong. Well, he'd do what he could once they got home. He shoved Finland's pack and squeezed his hand gently. Finland once again said nothing, but he briefly squeezed Sweden's hand in reply and followed him as he started walking towards home.

* * *

"D'nner's r'dy s'n."

Finland didn't bother to raise his head. "Thank you." He said quietly.

Sweden put the plate he had been holding down and stared at the younger man lying prone on the couch, staring into distance. What was going on? He thought his melancholy would pass as soon as they got home, but no, he still barely talked to him and seemed to be avoiding his eyes. What was wrong? Sweden felt extremely uncomfortable. All this made some...scary thoughts pop into his mind. He couldn't let this go on.

"F'nland..." He walked to the sofa. Finland moved into a more upright position to make space to him, but still wouldn't look him in the eye.

Sweden opened his mouth in order to ask him, but paused, unsure what to say. He coughed, racking his brain for the correct words.

"D'd...D'd R'ssia do sum'thing to y' agen?" He finally stammered.

Huh? Finland asked, abashed. He actually turned towards Sweden for a second, before flinching and turning away again. He shook his head. "No, he was nice to me."

He got up and walked to the window, making sure his backed was turned towards Sweden. Sweden gave out a barely audible sigh of relief, but now he was even more worried. Why was Finland so downcast then? And why wouldn't he look at him?

"He..." Sweden looked up, surprised to hear Finland continue talking. His voice sounded shaky. Sweden feel a dull feeling in his chest.

"He told me that...If I wouldn't try to stop him, he'd...he'd..." His voice trailed off.

"H''d do wha'?" Sweden asked, not knowing what to expect. His throat felt as dry as sandpaper.

"He'd...help me to build a house of my own..."

Sweden frowned, not quite sure he had heard right. Why would...Wait, he didn't mean...

Finland turned around and finally faced Sweden. There were no tears in his eyes, but the look of anxiety on his face was almost worse. "I-I accepted."

Sweden eyes widened. He felt a odd numbness spreading into his body.

"Y'..." He said, dreading to continue.

"Yes." Finland said in a toneless voice. "I...I started preparing for it too. But..."

"...Wha' happ'ned?"

Finland turned his head away, not daring to look him in the eye anymore. "The situation changed. A-and I..." He shook his head and fell silent.

Sweden covered his face with hands and took a deep breath. He felt sad and hurt, but most of all, confused. He slowly got up and walked towards Finland. He stopped a few steps away from him. Finland was avoiding his eyes.

"Why?" He muttered after a long moment of silence.

Finland hung his head even lower.

"I just...thought it might be nice to have a house of my own. Just for a change. And..." He looked out of the window and his voice grew darker. "Every time we lose to Russia, I feel...weaker. It's like I'm losing pieces of... myself, one after one. And I'm afraid that one day I will...disappear." He had started to shiver. "And I would become..." he wasn't able to finish the sentence.

Sweden stared at him, not knowing what to think. Even though he knew their lives hadn't been all that easy for them, he had had no idea...

"I thought that if I'd move away, he might leave...us alone." Finland's voice was barely louder than a whisper. "He's getting stronger...I don't know how long we can outmatch him even together."

Sweden walked to Finland. The shorter man was still shaking and looked like he was at the verge of tears.

"Ar' y' in pain?" Sweden asked.

Finland didn't reply. Sweden grabbed his shoulders. Their eyes met. He must have looked stern, since Finland started shaking even harder.

"I'm sorry..." Tears finally started flowing from his eyes. He quickly wiped them away with his sleeve and looked up again. "I'm so sorry...I don't know what I was thinking."

Sweden shook his head and pulled him into an embrace.

"No, I really am! I didn't mean to betray you."

"Y'didn't."

"But-" His protests were cut short by Sweden setting his hand on his head and pushing it down into his shoulder.

"Dun worry." Finland fell silent and started sobbing softly again. Sweden kept his hand on top of his head and slowly swayed back and forth, hoping to comfort him. He couldn't shake the feeling he was the one who should be apologizing and not him.

"'ll nev'r let y'suffer anymor'. I pr'mise" He mumbled.

He looked into Finland's eyes and he stared at him. His purple eyes were just as beautiful as the very first time he had seen them, but he could see the shadow of fear and misery through them.

"I...I..." Finland stuttered and Sweden could hear a sliver of doubt in his voice. He took a deep breath. "Thank you." he finally whispered, his voice back to normal. He leaned into Sweden's arms and sniffled.

"We'll always be together..." he mumbled barely audibly, as if trying to convince himself.

Sweden nodded and tightened his grasp of him, shutting his eyes and wishing that holding the Finn close enough to him would prevent him being wrenched away ever again.

After a long silence he finally reopened his eyes, having remembered the dinner.

"Are y'hungry?" He asked.

Finland pulled away and nodded weakly. Sweden took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

_I wonder how long I can keep my promise..._

* * *

A/N: Kingdom of Finland. 1742. I kid you not. Seriously. The Finns even chose a king for themselves, but the situation between Sweden and Russia changed, and the plan vanished into history.

By the way, am I the only one who immediately thinks "IT'S A TRAP!" when hearing that Russia was going to help Finland become independent? Brr.

Thanks for reading and see you soon. ^^


	14. 1822

A/N: Before going "Hey, what about 1809?!?", let me assure you this IS the 1809 chapter. It's only the frame story that is set in 1822. (Witness my fantabulous idea-merging skillz! =D) ^_~. After all, how could I ignore such an important event? (Well, everything's possible I guess XD).

About this chapter: oh my, this was probably the hardest thing for me to write EVER. That's also why it took me longer to than the other chapters so far. Sorry! Hopefully the ending result is worth it. Anyway, without further ado:

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 13: 1822**

* * *

Sweden carefully pushed the door to the salon open with his elbow, balancing various pieces of cleaning equipment in his arms. Norway looked up from the book he had been reading and stared at Sweden, his monochrome eyes revealing no emotions.

"Going to clean the house then?" He asked.

"Yea." Sweden replied and re-adjusted he things he was holding under his left armpit.

Norway nodded. "Good idea." He started reading again. "I ll help you later."

"Th'nks." Sweden left the room. He was glad to see Norway had finally calmed down. He had been furious when Sweden first had dragged him into his house. Sweden couldn't really blame him though; he had been planning to move back into a house of his own. Sweden sighed. Regardless, he needed Norway; there was no way he could live on his own again. After all, Norway was a dear old friend, and his quiet companionship helped to keep Sweden's mind off the loss...

Sweden froze mid-step, causing the cleaning equipment to clatter loudly. No matter how hard he tried, his mind kept wandering to the same issue. It was partially why he had decided to clean the house today; tough manual labor might be just what he needed to stop him thinking about what had happened...

* * *

_Sweden breathed heavily. Now matter how many times he experienced the bitter feeling of defeat, it never became easier to bear or accept._

_He could hear Finland calling for him, but his voice sounded distant and muffled, and he couldn't make out the words. If only he could close his eyes for a second and rest. Maybe then he would be able to defy Russia's orders..._

_He had known he couldn't hold up against Russia for that much longer anymore, but it was still a shock to see the difference in their powers. This time around, it really was hopeless. And now...France and Denmark threatened to attack him too._

_At this rate, he was going to lose everything._

_He looked up and saw Finland staring at him, concern written all over his face. He could also see the dark shadow in his eyes had spread and now fully encompassed them. If he really left now like Russia demanded, what would happen to the Finn? It was almost too late already._

_"Su-san?" Finland asked again, sounding more and more alarmed._

_Sweden shut his eyes and tried to focus. There had to be way out of this deathtrap for both of them. If only he could find it...The situation was so overwhelming it was almost impossible to think clearly. Why couldn't there just be one enemy at the time?_

_He took a deep breath and started to think rationally. If he wanted to stand any chance against Russia, he would have to do as he told him and leave for now, as well as secure himself from other directions and regain some of his strength. That also meant he'd have to leave Finland behind. Could he really do that?_

_He tried to convince himself it was the only sensible option, no matter how bad it felt. He'd be able to rescue him once the spring arrived for sure... He'd just have to lure Russia away somehow._

It's the only way...

_He braced himself and looked at Finland again._

_"I...haf'ta..." He staggered, frantically trying to find the right words. Finland stared at him without even blinking. After a moment of awkward silence Sweden saw a flash of realization in his. Finland gave a slight nod, as if he had come to the same conclusion himself._

_"Don't worry, I can handle it." He looked forward, clearly exhausted but determined. "It can't be worse than at the first time."_

_Sweden nodded grimly. He lifted his gear and gave Finland a clumsy hug with one arm. His smaller body felt smaller than he had remembered, and he felt even worse about leaving him. It was too late to regret it now though. He let go and walked past him. He slowly walked away, only to turn around and look back. He saw Finland lower his weapon and walk towards to opposite direction, his footsteps barely audible in the fresh snow. Sweden took another deep breath and forced himself to continue towards west._

I swear, I'll come back for you when the spring arrives...

* * *

Sweden violently shook himself out of his thoughts. He had to stop thinking about it already, it was already too late. He decided to get to work as soon as possible. The bedroom would be a good place to start; it was more than messy enough to keep him focused.

He walked through the corridor to his bedroom and looked around. It looked quite a bit cleaner than he had remembered, but when he opened the wooden closer, books and various pieces of clothing fell down onto the floor from it. He frowned at the mess. Okay, these definitely had to be sorted out before he could start scrubbing the place, some of the clothes were centuries old. He picked up as many things as he could carry at once and dropped them on the bed, sat next to the pile and started folding them. He really hadn't bothered with keeping the room organized lately...Back in the day, everything had been neatly arranged, including the clothes. He smiled faintly: When they had still been children, Finland had once sneaked into his closet when he had been sleeping and had been trying on his clothes despite them being over-sized to him when Sweden had found him. He had panicked and tripped on the hem of the dress he had been wearing at the moment, bumping his head in the process. Sweden hadn't known whether to laugh or cry at the silly scene, and from then on had always sewn all the clothes he gave to Finland to make sure they were the right size...

He paused and gave himself a slap on the forehead. Why did everything have to remind him of him? It was hard enough as it was...He sighed and continued folding the clothes, trying to ignore the burning feeling in his chest as well as the increasingly bad headache. Just don't think about it, just don't think about it...

* * *

_Pain...he couldn't remember when he had last felt such agony. So this must be what he had always felt..._

_He opened his eyes, blinking in the sudden sunlight. Everything looked so foggy...All he could see were some faint figures and something red on the ground. Sweden frowned. Blood? Whose was it? The realization slowly dawned to him as he connected it to the numbing pain in his left arm, and he remembered what had happened._

_Sweden grunted and tried to straighten up. The pain made him dizzy, but he couldn't let it bother him now. Taking care of it was far lower on his priority list than what was going on now..._

_He looked up and adjusted his glasses, hoping it would make the scenery less blurry. To his relief, after a brief moment everything started looking clearer. He could now see Russia and Finland standing not too far away. Russia's face was partially obscured by his scarf, and he couldn't make up his expression. Finland on the other hand looked pale and concerned. Russia has holding him from both his shoulders and the weight of his hands was pushing them down._

_Sweden took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. His insides felt oddly cold._

_He had failed._

_"So, here we are again." Russia said, smiling. Sweden glared at him, wishing there'd be a way to wipe that smirk of his face. However, there was none. All he could do was stare and wait for him to continue._

_"I'm getting bored of these wars...What do you say if I just keep Finland-kun this time around?" Russia turned his gaze away from him and smiled at the Finn in front of him._

_Sweden opened his mouth before freezing, unable to come up with anything to say. He wasn't...serious? He desperately tried to catch Finland's gaze. The younger man looked so vulnerable when compared to the Russian man standing behind him. Finland soon spotted his gaze and stared back at him. He looked sad and soon bowed his head in resignation._

_Sweden's stomach lurched._

_He had never seen Finland give up hope before._

_"Well, France won't be helping me with Turkey..." Russia continued after the prolonged silence. "so I'll just have him instead, da?" He tightened his grasp of Finland's shoulders. Finland winced, but didn't say anything. He still stared at the ground._

_Sweden clenched his fists. Did Russia really think he'd just let him take Finland? ...but then again, what could he do about it? He was exhausted and couldn't go on fighting. He really would have to give up. But... The pain in his left arm increased and he struggled to keep his balance. Everything felt so foggy..._

_"I'll take good care of him." Russia suddenly said quietly._

_Sweden blinked and stared at him. He had sounded almost...sincere._

_He clutched his arm and cringed in pain. He didn't now how long he could stay up before he passed away. There was no way he could defeat Russia in this condition...there was only one option left, and it was to give up. He sighed and looked towards the sky and finally nodded, looking down again._

_"Su-san..." Finland said quietly. Sweden wasn't able to recognize the tone of his voice._

So this is how it ends.

_He could feel the last ounce of strength leave his body and staggered, nearly falling over. The world grew blurry again._

_"Su-san!" Finland cried and tried to run to him, but couldn't free himself from the larger man's grasp. He turned towards Russia, still trying to wrench himself away. "Please...he's injured..." He said pleadingly._

_Sweden grunted and looked up again to see Finland's face. He stopped attempting__ to free himself and stared back._

_Sweden smiled weakly. Such beautiful eyes, even when they were filled with worry...He sighed and closed his eyes._

_"Sry." He whispered._

Please forgive me.

_His knees finally gave in and he collapsed onto the ground._

_"SU-SAAAAAN!!"_

* * *

When he had woken up, they had been long gone. All that had been left was the short but painful journey to the empty house...And the memories...

Sweden shook his head. He really had to stop thinking about it now. He bit his lip and continued to fold his clothes. The burning feeling had spread into his eyes too and he blinked rapidly to get rid of it.

He picked up an old brown tunic. Why was this still here? It was hard to believe he had actually been small enough to wear it. He started folding it, but stopped abruptly. His hand had brushed over something hard inside the tunic. Sweden turned it upside down round and shook it. Something small dropped out the tunic's pocket and onto the bed.

* * *

"Sweden?"

Norway walked to Sweden's bedroom and knocked on the door before opening it.

"Sweden? Are you here? Where do we keep-?" He asked, abruptly stopping mid-sentence and staring inside, amazed and shocked.

Sweden was sitting on the bed, holding his right hand out and eyes looking at something not there. Tears were softly streaming down his cheeks. He didn't seem to notice Norway had entered the room.

Norway didn't know how to react and only stood there, staring. He'd never seen Sweden cry before, not even when they had been kids.

"Sweden?" He took a step forward, unsure what to do. He could now see that Sweden was holding a small pinecone resting in his palm. He still didn t respond in any way nor showed any signs of having heard him.

Norway hesitated for a while before giving the taller man a soft pat on the back. He then left the room, feeling strangely distressed.

* * *

A/N: What? Oh, it slipped. Sorry.

Also, for some reason the last segment is from Norway's POV. =3 Oh well, he needs love too, especially since the next chapter is probably the last one with him in it. (Excluding cameos) Ehe.

So, the beginning of the 20th century is up next (yes, already ^^;). Thanks for reading and see you.


	15. 1905

A/N: Here we go again. For some reason, now that there are only so many chapters, I've started to procrastinate (well, at least I updated my profile here XD). Uh-oh. Sorry for the belated update again. ^_^; Anyway, here you go, chapter 14. It's a bit of an angst-fest, but I hope you enjoy it. ^^ (also, please inform me if there are any typos or the like; I'm so tired I can't even tell red from blue let alone the correct spelling from the wrong one.)

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 14: 1905**

* * *

_I wonder what it felt like to lose someone so important. Did you feel hurt? Sad? Lonely? Whatever the case, I'm very sorry you had to go through it._

_At least you didn't have to face it all alone...You forced Norway to live with you, and it did soothe the pain. It was so wonderful; having someone else to share the otherwise empty house, now wasn't it?_

_Unfortunately, Norway wasn't all too happy with the circumstances...After all, he really would have rather lived alone. Eventually, he got fed up and wanted to leave._

_In the end, after months of constant fighting you two finally parted ways._

_And now, you'd really be alone..._

* * *

The sun was already setting, and the first stars could already been seen as the largest star of all painted the sky red and purple before disappearing for the night. The view was spectacular, but Sweden was too wound up in his thoughts to truly enjoy it. He looked to his side to see Norway walking by him. He looked as stoic as usual, but he could determination in his eyes, along with a hint of something else Sweden didn't recognize. He dragged the luggage behind him. Sweden had offered to carry it, but Norway had insisted on doing it himself, and in the end Sweden had let him.

Sweden looked forward again and slowed down; he already saw the poles indicating the border. He looked to his side again. Norway seemed to have spotted them as well and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned towards Sweden and stared at him in silence. Sweden stared back, unable to tell what the shorter man was thinking.

"Well, this is it I guess." Norway finally said.

"Yea." Sweden nodded. Norway turned away.

"So..." He continued his back turned to Sweden, but hesitated and fell silent.

They stood there for quite a while. Norway turned around to face him again and looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't quite know how. For some strange reason, Sweden felt slightly amused despite the miserable situation; after all, he knew exactly how it felt not being able to put thoughts into words. Sometimes the right words just wouldn't come. He too wanted to tell Norway how sorry he was this hadn't worked out in the end and how he hoped their friendship could take the bump. But, as the words just wouldn't come out, he'd just have to express his feelings without them.

He held his hand out. Norway stared at it for a moment, his face emotionless. Soon, however, he reached out and shook his hand tightly. Sweden squeezed it back, trying to convey as much of his emotions through the handshake as possible. He swallowed, wondering whether he'd dare to hug him or not, but eventually settled for patting his back. Norway nodded and lifted his gear. He waved at Sweden before turning around and walking towards the sunset.

Sweden stared after him for a good while. The moment Norway had let go of his hand, the odd tingling sense in his stomach. He took a deep breath and finally turned his back at both Norway and the sun and started the long journey home.

* * *

The narrow path was full of twigs, and they got scattered around as he stomped on it. He didn't pay them a lot of attention though; he was busy trying to convince himself this had been the right choice.

It was better this way for Norway for sure...He had always liked being independent. And...It was probably better for him too...The last few months had been hell. He had hated being in bad terms with Norway...he was a dear friend after all, almost like a brother. Sweden didn't want to ruin their relationship by forcing him to live with him anymore, even if that meant he had to return to his house alone...

He shook his head and picked up his pace, hoping it would make the hollow feeling cede. He advanced fast, only thinking about his legs and his surroundings, but eventually it wasn't enough to keep the gnawing feeling away.

He reached a small clearing. He slowed down and looked up. The sun had completely disappeared into the horizon, and the numerous stars we're the only thing illuminating the sky. They twinkled, almost like they were calling for him. Sweden stared at them, and felt sadness welling inside him.

Now he'd really be all alone...

He shivered as a cold breeze passed by and pulled his mantle tightly around him. He'd better get home soon, it was getting chilly and he had dressed lightly for this time of the year.

He continued, but only to realize he kept slowing down and looking back despite knowing Norway had disappeared from his sight long time ago, and that there was no way he could reach him anymore. The only other thing he could hear besides his own breathing was the distant howling of a lone wolf. Sweden wasn't afraid of it in the least, but the loneliness of the call made him feel even more miserable. Could he really live without anyone else? It wasn't a financial problem or anything, but even now he wasn't sure he'd be able to take the solidity. If only...

His thoughts drifted towards Finland, like so very often whether he wanted it or not. He expected a sharp bang of pain in chest, but to his surprise thinking about him barely hurt anymore. Guess time really heals all wounds. He closed his eyes and imagined his smiling face in front of him.

_"Don't worry about me, I'm doing fine."_

He had seen him a few times after Russia had taken him to his house, and for the most he had looked healthy enough, as well as more mature. In fact, he had looked happy... happier than he had during their last years together...

Sweden shook his head. It was better not to think about that...

He looked towards the east despite knowing there was no way he could see anything from this distance. It had been long since he had last seen him...And the little news he had heard about Russia lately were alarming...He wasn't sure of the details, but he knew something was going on in Russia's, and whatever it was, it wasn't good. The lack of information frustrated him...All he could do was to hope that Finland wasn't involved in what was going on.

He opened his eyes and looked at the stars again.

_I miss you..._

The wolf let out another howl, and this time, after a brief pause he heard other wolves joining in with it. He readjusted his mantle and continued his journey home, staring at the ground and feeling lonelier than ever in his life.

* * *

A/N: Incidentally, the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway happened the very same year as the Bloody Sunday incident and the 1905 Revolution in the Russian Empire. Huh. That's quite convenient. ^_^; Well, for me at least. XD

Also, in case someone is curious, Finland was actually doing a little better in 1905 than he had shortly before (let's just say that while doing research, I ended up reading about the Russian Empire, and after a pleasant wiki walk ran into something that made me go "holy shiiiiiiiiiiiii-". Finland never had it easy, did he? O_O; Gah, all this just makes more plot bunnies appear. ^^;). And although it has no historical significance whatsoever (ehe), Berwald and Tino last met before 1888.

So, thanks for reading and see you! I'll really try to finish the fic before Christmas!


	16. 1940

A/N: And now it's time for WWII (yes, already. XD)! Only two full chapters left after this one. Can you believe it? XD Iswearwewillhazahappyending.

Okay, I know the Winter War is MADE of epic, but there's only one way to look at it from Sweden's POV and that has already been done. (More than once actually, and all the results are awesome.) So, I was going through Wikipedia articles thinking about what to do about WWII, and ran into something incredible regarding Sweden and Finland. I hope you like the result! =3

(Also, thank you WhiteFrost for pointing out a typo in chapter 14. How did I miss that one? *facepalm*)

* * *

**Always By Your Side:**

**Chapter 15: 1940**

* * *

_So, after all those years you were all alone again, and this time, you had no will to find another roommate. It would have never really been the same anyway...You just had to get used to solidity. In the end, the transition wasn't all that painful...You decided to do your best to keep out of fights and make your life as comfortable as you could, and wait... Even when a dark wave of war passed through the Europe, a one larger than ever before, you stayed at your house and away from it._

_And then...When the chaos amongst nations was at its worst, he left Russia's house. It caught you by surprise; the news of the turmoil and revolts in the Russian Empire had reached you and you had been almost sick of worry...but somehow, Finland had managed to escape almost unscathed. Suddenly he was there, beaten, but all but down, and determined to become independent and take care of himself. Oh yes, he didn't want to return to your house...the long time spend apart had changed him...ever so slightly but still so clearly...and that included his feelings towards you...You ended up arguing...And it only hurt your relationship even more..._

_However, "changed" doesn't mean the same as "disappeared"... As time went by, he started warming up to you again...It wasn't quite the same as it had been before, but still...It made you very happy._

_But when another wave or terror spread through the nations Finland, despite his attempts, was sucked into the war. You wanted to help him, but your superior wouldn't agree. Safety always comes first...Of course, that didn't stop you for helping him in secret, did it? But that wasn't quite enough..._

_In the end, to everyone's surprise, he managed to stand his ground and stay independent, but for a price...a price so very high..._

* * *

'The young man who had just knocked on the door wavered a little as he opened the door. His breathing was labored and his face pale, but despite his injuries the fire in his purple eyes burned as brightly as ever and proved he was still very much alive.

Those eyes...they haven't changed after all...

Sweden quickly moved away from the door to let Finland in. He mumbled a thank you and stepped in, removing his overcoat while walking. Sweden followed him into the salon and prompted him to sit in his old favorite armchair. Finland sat down shyly. Sweden walked to the other armchair, but didn't take a seat.

"Y'want sum'thing ta dr'nk?"

"No, thank you." Finland shook his head and smiled faintly. Sweden nodded, but still wouldn't sit down.

Finland took a deep breath and leaned into the back of the chair. He closed his eyes for a moment before flinching and turning towards Sweden again. Sweden blinked; he hadn't noticed the dark circles under Finland's eyes earlier.

"Have you heard the news?" The Finn finally said in a weary tone.

"Which on'?" Sweden asked quietly. He had heard plenty of news, and none of them delightful: battles after battles and nations after another defeated. By now, all of his friends and old comrades had been dragged into the war - the rest of the Nordics had been overrun not too long ago. Finland too had just gotten out of a devastating war to stay independent. The future looked bleak.

"The Baltics...moved back into Russia-san's house." Finland. His voice sounded more and more nervous at every word and his eyes were fixed on the carpet.

"Yea, I've he'rd." Sweden said grimly, hoping to sound sympathetic. He had expected the Finn wouldn't take it well; seeing his friends succumb to the fate he had so fiercely fought against couldn t be pleasant.

Finland looked up, his earlier nervousness gone. "He says they wanted to move in with him themselves, but..." He shook his head. "I know it's not true!" he said anxiously.

Sweden looked at him and nodded, thinking fervently. What should he say next? Maybe he should comfort him somehow? However, before he was able to decide on his next action, the fair-haired young man continued talking.

"I..." Finland whispered, almost more to himself than to Sweden. He looked away again. But Sweden could see his bright eyes brimmed with fear. "He's...still ordering me around. I'm afraid I'm next...Even though I fought so hard..." Sweden took a step forward. Finland was so bunched up together he looked like he was shrinking.

Finland gave him another anguished look. He could see something as cold as steel glint in his eyes.

"It's not over yet. With Russia..." Sweden blinked in surprise; he had never heard Finland addressing Russia disrespectfully when sober before. "...It's never over."

Sweden nodded. He knew from experience the Finn was right. His stomach turned, leaving him with a bitter sensation in his mouth.

"S'ry I didn't help y'en'ugh. It's jest..." He muttered.

"Huh?"

"Wit' th' war...M'sup'rior di'n't..." He continued, feeling more and more embarrassed.

"Oh..." Finland finally understood. He shook his head. "No, you did what you had to." He gave him a weary smile. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt because of me anyway..."

Sweden looked sadly at Finland. How could he tell him he didn't mind getting hurt to protect him in the least? If he could have, he would have stood by Finland's side during the whole war...Luckily, his superior was finally starting to understand Sweden's feelings towards his neighbor...If only he had understood them before he and Finland already were between a rock and a hard place...

"It's over for now anyway." Finland sighed. He paused briefly, and when he continued the tone of his voice was much darker.

"But it's not over for good...in fact, it's getting worse...We're surrounded now, aren't we Su-san? We almost helpless by ourselves...and I'm so hungry..." He leaned backwards with a pained expression on his face. "Germany-san has been helping me lately so it isn't that bad anymore, but..." His voice trailed off and made a strange sound which almost sounded like he tried very hard to suppress a sob.

"I can't go back there...I just can't..."

Sweden took a deep breath and looked away, not wanting to see the anguish on Finland's pale face. There had to be something they could do to survive... and a thought that had been forming in his head for quite a while resurfaced and finally took form. It was always safer to stick together...

Maybe there was a third option after all.

"M've in with m' agen." He blurted.

The room fell completely silent.

Finland slowly looked up and stared at him, baffled. Sweden felt his cheeks redden. He hid his mouth behind his fist and coughed.

"'nly...until the w'r is 'ver, of c'rse. And not if you dun want ta... He continued to break the silence

Finland still didn't reply, but continued staring in astonishment.

"Us...together?" He finally whispered.

Sweden nodded somberly, almost beginning to regret the whole suggestion. How could he have thought Finland would accept? They were so different from each other nowadays...And Finland held a deep grudge against Russia...and maybe against him, too...

But still...No matter how embarrassed he felt, he was glad he had asked...There were so many things he should have told him but never did...And besides, he really wanted to protect Finland...

"'t's s'fer th't way." He muttered.

Finland looked away. "Yes, of course..." His voice sounded nonchalant. Sweden frowned, but continued regardless.

"Y'd haf'ta give 'p on rega'n'ng yer loss's th'ugh. No m're war."

Finland sighed. He closed his eyes and focused. Sweden stared at him. Finland was usually easy to read, but for once, he had no idea what he was thinking. He did know giving up his lost regions would seriously hurt Finland s pride.

After a long silence he slowly got up and walked to Sweden. He took hold of his hands and smiled.

"Okay." He whispered.

Sweden couldn't believe his ears. Finland had...accepted? He started to shake. Luckily, Finland didn't seem to notice.

"Together again, huh?" He looked up and Sweden saw could tell from his eyes his smile was genuine.

"Yea..." Sweden hesitated. He squeezed Finland's soft and bandaged hands. This was almost like a dream come true...Maybe he should finally tell him about his feelings now...No, he interrupted himself, this wasn't the time...Even so, merely thinking about it made him sweat and blush profusely. Finland noticed the change and blushed too, but didn't pull away.

"We should probably think of a name for the union too..." Finland finally said.

Sweden nodded. "'ll do tha'." He firmly said, knowing all too well the insane names Finland considered to be perfectly acceptable.

"Okay."

They stood there holding each other's hand for quite a while still. Finally Finland pulled away and averted his gaze. He focused on readjusting his hat, not daring to look him in the eyes, obviously flustered.

"Well...umm...I'd better go home and start preparing then." He smiled awkwardly.

"Yea." Sweden said quietly and nodded. "I sh'uld do th' same."

Finland shyly beamed at him, his cheeks still as red as his own felt.

"Well, see you, Su-san!" He grabbed his coat, waved at him and disappeared into the corridor.

Sweden thought about following him for a while, but in the end settled for slumping into the armchair and taking a deep breath. He still didn't fully comprehend he really had agreed. Even so, he felt elated. The strange warmth in his chest had spread into his head too and made the world feel lighter. Suddenly the world didn't feel so dark anymore...not now his light had returned into his life.

Eventually, his blissful thoughts started drifting towards the more troublesome issues too.

_I hope Russia won't try to stop us..._

He shook his head. Whatever would happen, he wouldn't let anything get between them again...Not even the war.

* * *

Sweden slammed the papers onto the desk with such force the whole table shook.

"Is th't tr'e?" He yelled at the hapless messenger.

"Y-yes." The messenger said, looking intimidated. "Germany-san has announced his opposition for your and Finland-san's union today."

"I see..." Sweden muttered. He stood up and started pacing around. He had known it wouldn't be easy to have other countries accept them moving together even temporarily in these tumultuous times, but even then he hadn't expected such strong opposition...Not only from Russia, but Germany, too? "Umm...Finland-san is waiting outside the room." The brown-haired messenger said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Thanks. Y' c'n g' now." He muttered. The messenger scurried away, still flabbergasted.

He opened the door after him. Finland was leaning into the wall in the corridor. His boots were covered in snow. He startled when he noticed him staring at him.

"Y'wan' ta c'me in?"

Finland nodded and got up. He walked into the study. Sweden slowly closed the door after him and returned to his wooden desk.

"Hav' Y'heard...?" He soon asked.

"I have." Finland sighed. He looked sad. "It can't be helped I guess."

"Y'sure?"

"If we continue, we'll just get attacked by both."

Sweden nodded. He knew it was true, but it still didn't ease the knot in his stomach.

"How..." Sweden swallowed. "How ar' y'going ta manag'?"

Finland let out another weary sigh, but then looked up, as determined as ever.

"I will manage. Germany-san...will probably help me. I don't think he and Russia-san will stay friends for long anymore. I might even get my areas back!"

"That so." Sweden mumbled, still worried.

Finland frowned, almost like he knew what Sweden was thinking. He turned his back at Sweden. "You don't have to take care of me...I'm not that weak." He said quietly. His voice sounded bitter.

Sweden opened his mouth, but couldn't think of a reply.

"...I c'n't help y'anymor' th'n." He finally muttered.

"I know." He looked back Sweden and smiled sadly. "Take care of yourself."

He seemed to hesitate, but in the end only nodded and left the room. He carefully closed the door behind him and walked away.

Sweden stared at the shut door for quite a while, and then buried his face into his hands. The winter storm continued to rage outside.

* * *

A/N: No, I am not kidding, they really were planning a union. And guess who suggested it? Why yes, the Swedes. When looking at the situation now, all I can say is "aww." Too bad it didn't work out... T_T

This totally has nothing to do with anything, but flabbergasted is a funny word. Also, for some reason I can't help but think Finland has been drinking a little before the first scene. But maybe that's just me... XD (also, I think I've forgotten something. Hmm...Hopefully it's nothing important XD)

Well, that's all for now. See you soon and don't hesitate to review.


	17. 1961

A/N: I know this chapter is late. My excuse is that I didn't have access to a computer for two days. It was really frustrating! Anyway, I'm so sorry!

About this chapter: Huzzah, I managed to include all the seasons into the story! :D Of course, since I've never visited Sweden describing the nature there is always a little iffy...oh well, I hope I did okay.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. On with the show!

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 16: 1961**

* * *

_Once again, despite your fear he survived...The price was heavy, but all you cared was that he was alive and healthy...or well, almost healthy... And to everyone's relief, the chaos turning the world upside down finally ceded. Peace returned to the world..._

_Or did it? While everything seemed normal on the surface, something dark was going on...America and Russia...Two great and opposing powers were at their zenith, and the whole world was affected by the tension caused by their power struggle..._

_Well, almost the whole world...what was going on mattered little to you. You decided not to pay attention to the struggle and spend more time with the other Nordics instead. What was to come was to come, all there was to do was to wait and enjoy your life the best you could..._

* * *

If he hadn't known, Sweden would never have guessed how heavily it had rained only last week. The sky was clear a cloudless and the air was cool and dry. Sweden paused for a moment to take a deep breath of the lovely fresh air. The weather was perfect for the journey ahead.

Sweden caught a colorful leaf as it slowly drifted towards the ground and lifted it to his eye level. It was truly beautiful; how could one leaf present all the shades of yellow and red at once? He smiled gently and looked around again. The fall was at its peak; many leaves had already fallen, but the most colorful ones were still left, creating a dazzling image. Sweden looked at the crimson and golden leaves swirling in his feet in the cool breeze and marveled at their beauty. The whole forest looked amazing, but despite its uplifting effect on his mood it also reminded him of sadder matters. Fall's beauty was the bittersweet kind: on its dying breath, nature was dressing in its finest and still bloomed for a moment, but would eventually wither and fall into a slumber, dying once again.

He sighed and continued walking down the path covered with dead leaves. As much as he wanted to just walk around the forest for the rest of the day, he couldn't; he was in a hurry. He would have to come back later, now it was time to go home. The Nordic Council's meeting had worked out just fine, but he had been gone long enough already and there was more paperwork waiting for him at home than he wanted to remember. Still, there was no way around it; when there was work to be done, the best thing to do was to just get cracking as soon as possible.

Even knowing that, he couldn't help but slow down every once in a while and enjoy the scenery. He really loved the fall despite its sadness. The marvelous colors and the way nature still gave him its best while slowly drifting asleep was just too amazing...Besides, autumn was the season most suited for being alone...Standing in the middle of a dying forest was perfect for the bittersweet feeling he both despised and adored and could never get enough of. And while it was melancholic, it also reminded him of the spring and gave him new hope...after all, the nature would be reborn again...Still, fall was the season for him... the spring was more enjoyable and lovely when there was someone to experience it with...

Even as he was thinking this, the sky was growing dark. Sweden sighed again and picked up the pace. If he got home in time and had everything sorted out, maybe he could come for another stroll later in the evening...

His thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound coming deeper from the forest. Sweden froze in his steps. What on earth was that? He pricked up his ears, hoping to hear the sound again. He had no idea what could have made it...It had sounded like no animal he knew... actually, it had sounded almost like a sob...

No matter how carefully he listened, he couldn't hear the sound again. He frowned and threw his cape over his shoulder, and slowly continued walking forward. He had barely taken a step forward when he heard it again, this time more clearly. He hesitated. It really had sounded like a sob...Should he go and take a look? After a few moments of consideration he pushed the branches by the side of the path away out of his way and stepped into the bushes. The sharp branches tickled his skin, and he rolled his sleeves down to cover his arms before walking towards where he thought the sound came from, the dry leaves and twigs bristling under his feet.

He carefully walked towards the source of the noise, trying very hard not to cause any extra commotion. Even then, the dry twigs kept snapping under his feet. He cursed under his breath and lightened his steps even further.

He followed the sound as grew louder and louder as well as more frequent. Soon it was so loud he was certain whoever was making it was standing only a few feet from him. He hid behind a yellow-leafed hedge and carefully peeked forward.

He saw Finland's leaning into a tree, his ash-colored hair and light blue uniform making him easily recognizable even while his back was turned towards him. He was quivering slightly.

Sweden stared at him, baffled. Finland had left the council earlier than him, so he should have reached his home by now even if he was by foot. Why was he still here? And...Sweden felt his mouth dry - was he crying?

He hesitated, still unable to pry his eyes off him. What should he do? Should he go talk to him or would that just embarrass Finland? He shifted his leg while trying to find a more comfortable position and accidentally caused a twig under his foot snap. Finland jolted at the sudden noise and stopped shaking. Sweden froze too and felt a drop of cold sweat trickle down his forehead.

Finland slowly turned around. To Sweden's surprise, there were no tears in his eyes, but he looked extremely flustered nonetheless.

"S-Su-san? W-what are you doing here?" He yelped after spotting him.

"Jest...Jest t'king a walk." Sweden replied, confused. Why was he so nervous?

"O-oh...right, sorry..." Finland let out a sigh and leaned into the tree again.

Sweden stepped out of the bushes. Something was definitely off.

"Y'okay?" He asked.

Finland gave him a pained smile. "You're always asking that. I'm fine, don't worry." He said reassuringly

Sweden nodded, but didn't leave the spot, all but convinced by Finland's words. He couldn't just leave when it was so very obvious Finland was hiding something.

"R'ly?" He asked again, this time a lot sterner.

"Y-yes!" Finland sounded intimidated, but didn't back off.

Sweden frowned. Whatever Finland was hiding, it couldn't be good. But what could he do? He couldn't leave the matter as it was, but he didn't really know how to get Finland tell him what was going on without scaring him. He kept standing there and staring at him, trying to convey with his eyes he only wanted to help him.

_Don't you trust me anymore?..._

After a long silence, Finland sighed and turned towards the tree.

"It's really nothing special..." He said quietly and slowly stroked the tree's rough bark as he spoke.

"'F I can d' an'thing ta..." Sweden said.

"You can't." Finland interrupted him and shook his head. "Really, it's okay...Just don't tell anyone, please?"

Sweden sighed at the rejection but decided to let it pass. He waited for him to continue.

Finland still kept his back turned at him. "It's just...Russia-san still keeps pushing me around..."

Sweden didn't say anything, and Finland continued, his voice quivering.

"I-I...just have to make I won't make him angry, that's all...But I give in too much, I don't know what will happen..."

Sweden had had an idea something like that had been going on, but still hearing it from the Finn himself made his stomach wrench.

"Have you heard what the others talk about me? I hate it...It's not like I do it willingly..." His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Sweden felt his anger flare up.

"'ll t'll him ta kn'ck it 'ff 'f..."

"No, you can't!" Finland snapped at him, sounding extremely frustrated.

Sweden backed off, shocked by the force of his voice. He soon recovered and stared back at the Finn. He was looking at the ground and his eyes were obscured by his blonde hair hanging in front of them.

After a long silence he finally continued talking.

"I thought you didn't want to get mixed into anything..."

"I d'n't, b't..." Sweden mumbled.

"No, please." Finland looked up again, and their eyes met.

"There's nothing you can do anymore. I take care of my own things now." He voice quivered, but despite that sounded determined.

"Please, don't worry about me...Su-s- umm, Sweden."

Sweden's heart skipped a beat and he almost took another step backward. He looked into Finland's eyes and what he saw curled his blood; he could almost see Russia in them. But when he focused, he could see for his relief that despite the change they were still Finland's eyes, brimming with resolution and hurt feelings.

They stared at each others eyes, neither one willing to look away first, and the leaves spiraled around them in the wind. Finally, Sweden looked down, downcast and bitter. Giving up was almost physically painful. But in his heart, he knew Finland was right; He had failed. He hadn't been able to protect Finland for years no matter how much he had wanted to. Now it was too late.

Finland blinked, and his tough demeanor wavered slightly, enough for Sweden to see how shocked and fragile he really was. For a brief moment, he looked like a small child again, alone and scared. But soon he regained his cool expression. This time around, Sweden could tell a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Finland opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated and stayed silent. Sweden fervently thought about something to say, but all the words had dried in his throat. There had to be something he could tell him to help him...and to make the pain in his chest a little less agonizing.

Finland finally broke the silence. "Well...I-I have to go." he mumbled, turned on his heels and dashed off, disappearing deeper into the woods.

Another leaf floated past Sweden's face and fell on his feet. More followed, but he didn't pay them any attention. It was now fall both inside and outside him, and the winter was coming.

* * *

A/N: And on this depressing note we end our fi-*shot* Just kidding! Please don't kill me!

Ahem...Well, the idea for this chapter basically stems from Sweden's continued neutrality policy (or non-belligerency, whichever you prefer) and a funny little term I ran into in Wikipedia called "Finlandization"...All I can say about that is hoo boy. I wonder what I will do with all these plot bunnies bugging me... =P

Anyway, I guess this wraps up the historical part of the fic (well, almost XD). Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the "final" chapter.


	18. 2008 again

**Always By Your Side**

**Chapter 17: 2008 again.**

* * *

_The fall encounter was never mentioned again, and you tried to ignore it ever happened...but deep down you knew something, whatever it was, had been damaged and couldn't be fixed. Or had it happened centuries ago already? Who knows? You two always stayed close, but you couldn't help but think he only saw you as a friend at best and rival at worst. Never the same..._

_As time passed, the political climate changed, and to the world's relief, the terror was over, at least for a moment. For once, it felt completely safe to breathe again...The future was still ahead. He looked happier too, didn't he?_

_Of course, the status quo is always changing in today's unstable world...But after that, nothing really shook you anymore. And even with all the troubles you had to endure, one question always stayed in your mind, buried under the current issues._

_...  
_

_Is it possible there's still hope? Who knows...One thing is for sure; someone has to take the first step._

_So, Sweden. You do remember...What are you going to do?_

Sweden crossed his arms and glared.

"'Re y' d'ne n'w?" He asked.

_Ah...I guess I am._

Sweden continued glowering. "'nd c'n y' st'p d'ing tha' voic'?" he asked sternly.

"Right, right. Sorry."

France stepped away from the shadow, pulling the dark hood obscuring his face over his head and grinning weakly.

"H'w did y' kn'w 'll tha' an'way?" Sweden muttered and looked away from France and at Finland and Estonia again, feeling mildly annoyed by his grin.

"Well, let's just say that God decided to pull a prank on someone else than me this time around." France played with his curls. His grin widened.

Sweden still kept his eyes fixed on the chatting nations.

"So, what are you planning to do?" France said in an amiable manner. He walked to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

Sweden felt his throat dry.

"I d'n't kn'w." He finally mumbled. Why was he telling him this? The memory trip had left him feel so hollow...

"What? Aren't you going to tell him?" the Frenchman asked incredulously. "You can't just leave it as it is!"

Sweden glared at him with such ferocity he quickly backed off.

"T'll wha'?...'nd wh' do y' c're?" He felt his cheeks redden, and tried to cover it by glowering even more angrily.

"Umm...Never mind that..." France replied, sounding suddenly a lot more nervous.

Sweden wasn't sure whether all the reminiscing had made his memory more flexible or what, but another memory popped into his mind as clear as the morning sky.

"'T was yer fa'lt ta start wit', rite?" He said quietly.

"Pardon?" Sweden could see sweat appear on France's forehead.

"Y'..." He turned his back at France and fought to keep his voice stable. "B'ck the'...Becos' 'f y', R'ssia attack'd 's agen in th' first pl'ce...'nd becos y' di'n't ke'p yer pr'mise ta him, he...d'cided ta k'pt F'nland..." His voice broke. His blush deepened, but he shook it off. This was no time to be embarrassed. Instead, he cracked his knuckles instead. He thought he heard a gulp coming from behind him. He turned to face France again, his fists ready, but the Frenchman had vanished, leaving only a note and a rose behind.

Sweden let his fists fall and sighed. Guess it couldn t be helped; he really wasn't in the mood for pursuing France all over the building. Beating him into a pulp would have been completely useless anyway. Sweden leaned into the wall and crossed his arms again. His battles were already fought; he was no longer a Viking no matter how salty his blood was.

He picked up the note and the flower, and frowned, trying to remember his French.

_Je suis tellement desol pour mes erreurs. Cette fois, je ne souhaite que aider les amants pr c dents retrouver l'espoir._

_Bonne Chance!_

I'm so sorry for my mistakes. This time, I only wish to help the former lovers recover hope. Good luck!

Sweden crumbled the note in his hand, but instead of throwing it away put it in his pocket. He looked at Finland and Estonia again. Their conversation seemed to be coming to an end. They said goodbye to each other and Estonia walked away. Finland was left standing alone and turned to inspect the painting on the wall.

_"You can't just leave it as it is!"_

Sweden clenched the flower in his hand. His mind was racing with thoughts. France was right, he had to do something But hat if it was already too late? He needed more time to think...

He walked towards Finland and gave the rose to Germany as he passed by him (who accepted the flower but looked extremely confused.) His thoughts felt louder at every step he took; you can't back off now, you have to do something...Soon he stood right next to Finland.

"F'nland..." He mumbled.

Huh?" Finland turned towards him. "Su-san? Oh...We had the same flight home, right? I-I'm so sorry." he said nervously.

Sweden nodded grimly, not really paying attention to his words. Although Finland had reverted back into a more informal way of calling him after that one time, in his mind it never sounded the same.

"Umm...Are we in a hurry?" Finland asked.

"No." he said bluntly. He had to say something, so couldn't he think about anything?

"Thank goodness." Finland looked relieved and seemed to lot less nervous. He even smiled at Sweden.

Sweden gulped inaudibly. He had to do something, preferably now. But what? He needed more time...

"D'...D' y' want ta go fer a w'lk first?" He finally blurted.

"Oh." Finland blinked in surprise. "Umm...Why not?"

Sweden nodded again and started walking towards the nearest exit. Finland followed in his footsteps.

* * *

"Wow, it's not as cold here as I thought it would be!" Finland said cheerfully, looking at the sky with one hand protecting his eyes from the sun.

"Yea." Sweden muttered.

Finland turned around to look at him.

" Umm...Estonia sounded pretty worried...I hope he's doing okay..."

"M' t'."

Finland eyed him nervously and tried again.

"Umm...How's Sealand doing? He always wants to come to the meetings too, right?"

"H's okay."

Finland blushed slightly. "That's good." he replied, more and more distraught by the moment.

Sweden's facial expression didn't change, but he couldn't help but smile inwardly, if only slightly. Finland tried to hide his nervousness under small talk like always when they were alone.

Finland - by now extremely agitated - spotted some flowers growing by the side of the path. "O-oh, look Su-san. Flowers!" He dashed off to them and carefully examined them. "How can they still be alive when the ground is so cold? Amazing..."

Sweden briefly glanced at the miraculous flowers, but soon focused on Finland. He still looked nervous, but he could see genuine surprise and delight on his face as he looked at the small flowers still in bloom.

_I wonder...Are you still you? Sometimes, when I look into your eyes I can't see you, but a perfect stranger...or even worse, a glint of Russia still in them. What about the white-clad boy singing in the forest? I haven't seen him for so long...And whenever he appears, he's soon gone again..._

He briefly raised his gaze to look at Finland again. He gotten up again and his back was turned at Sweden. His ash-colored hair waved in the wind.

_You really have changed...I can see why. I can't even imagine what you've been through...do you blame me? Or have you changed so much you can't even remember? Can you remember...us? If you can't, it means I never got the chance to tell you how much-_

"Su-san! Look!"

Sweden looked up just in time to see a white bird fly into the horizon.

"It was really pretty! Umm...Do you know what it's called?" Finland asked, turning to look at him.

Sweden shook his head. "Sry, I don't kn'w." he admitted.

Finland didn't seem to mind. He turned to look at the direction were the bird had disappeared to.

Sweden stared at him for a moment, shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He looked at his hands.

_You're not the only one who has changed....I've changed too. I can barely hear the call of the ocean anymore..._He stroked one of the more visible scars in his right hand. _Time has changed us both...The weight of the world has grown heavy._

Sweden took a deep breath. All this just made it worse. He wasn't all that sure he should say anything after all. Maybe it really was too late?

He looked at Finland again. He was still looking for the bird. To his surprise, he actually looked very calm...calm and happy.

Sweden smiled faintly.

_Then again...Maybe since I have changed too, I just can't see what has stayed the same. If you never broke down...you're still the same person from back then...and that's enough for me. Because...When I look at you and see you smile, I still remember how much I miss you...Maybe there's still hope..._

"I wonder where the bird went...Maybe it has a nest somewhere here?"

_If only I could say this out loud! Why does speaking have to be so damn difficult?_ Sweden looked his feet, frustrated_ Talking about my feelings always makes me feel so embarrassed...It's not that I didn't want to tell what I felt, it just never came out. Can you understand it? But this, I really have to tell you...I don't care if it's too late, I just have to! I've waited too long already..._. T

"Su-san?" Finland turned to look at him again and sounded vaguely worried. "Are you alright?"

_Say it! Now!_

"I..." Sweden muttered, but still hesitated. Finland looked confused.

_What if it's really too late? What will I do then?_

_No, there's no time to worry about that! This may be your only chance!_

"I..." He started again.

_Tell him!_

Sweden stood straight up and took a deep breath.

"I...I l've y'."

As soon as the words left his mouth, perfect silence fell into the garden. It was almost as if the world had been frozen by his words.

He wanted to turn away and hide, but forced himself to keep looking at Finland. He desperately tried to find out what he was thinking. Finland stared back at him, his mouth hanging slightly open and his eyes revealing nothing but surprise.

Please, he begged in his mind, please don't tell me I made a mistake.

Slowly, very slowly, Finland turned his eyes towards the ground, looking sad.

Sweden turned around to hide his face. He expected tears, but none would come. All he felt was dull emptiness.

_At least I tried..._

He hung his head._ What should I do now? I can't just leave, but I can't stay either! Oh.._

His panicking thoughts were interrupted by a quiet but clear voice.

"_Ruotsi..._"

Sweden spinned around, unable to believe his ears. Finland was looking at him again. His eyes were still sad, but he was smiling.

Sweden froze. Blood rushed into his head as he stared at the Finn who was now blushing profusely. He slowly walked towards the Swede. Sweden still wasn't able to move a muscle.

"I...I..." Finland whispered, but shook his head. He carefully placed his hands on Sweden's shoulders. His heels left the ground as the leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

At first Sweden was too shocked to react, but after a moment he responded to the kiss. It was different from before, more bitter and kind of unfamiliar, but still sweet enough to remind him of the past. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man and cuddled him.

After a long moment (which still felt too short) Finland pulled away and took a few steps backwards. He looked around nervously.

"Umm..." He mumbled red as a beetroot. "Please don't tell anyone."

Sweden nodded. "Ok."

"Thank you." Finland said quietly, his cheeks still bright red. He looked up at Sweden again and smiled softly. Sweden could feel his own cheeks redden again.

"Oh right, the plane!" Finland suddenly yelped and looked around. "We have to hurry!"

Sweden nodded again and followed after the Finn as he ran back towards the building. He had always been a good runner, but this time his feet felt even lighter than usually, as light as his heart.

* * *

A/N: First of all, I'd like to apologize for not replying to the reviews I got for the last chapter. For some strange reason, I haven t received any messages from here whatsoever for a day or two. I guess my email isn t working properly. (Lol, my initial reaction: "Bzuh? Did I forget to send the chapter? O_o"). Anyway, I'm very sorry. (Thanks for all the reviews though 3) EDIT: Actually, they did finally arrive...36 HOURS LATER. WTF. Sorry. *headdesk*. I'll reply to them later, right now I'm so tired I just want to go ahead and die.

Lol, I was kinda surprised myself that the narrator turned out to be France of all people. XD I hadn't really thought about it at first, but at some point I just couldn't get the mental image of France dramatically reading a history book in the shadows. XD Surprisingly, it kinda made sense too (btw, it's also his fault that the Holy Roman Empire disappeared. Dude!) I hope I got the French part right, my French could use some brushing up.

Anyway, thanks for reading (and for being so patient with me XD)! Stay tuned for the epilogue (a.k.a. the real final chapter. Oops). It's fluffy. =3


	19. 2009

A/N: Okay, it's time for the real final chapter. :D And since we've had more than enough drama lately, it's time for fluff! And look ma, I managed to finish the fic before Christmas (with thr- two days of spare even)! Yay! XD

Special thanks to Wang Yao for the information this chapter is based on. (Rest of the thanks are at the end of the chapter :D)

* * *

**Always By Your Side**

**Epilogue: 2009 (1374)**

* * *

"Su-san? Are you here?"

Finland pushed the heavy wooden door open and coughed due to the dusty air inside.

"Su-san?" He called again.

Sweden hastily turned around, surprised. He took a few steps away from the worktable he had been standing by and hid his hands behind his back.

"Yer h're alr'dy?" He asked, louder than he had meant to. The old shed they were in was mainly used as a storage room, and he had thought it would be the perfect place to finish his project hidden from the other's eyes. Of course, he had forgotten Finland had still lived in his house when the shed had been more actively used.

"I-I thought it was urgent, so I hurried here. And...Umm...you weren't in the house, so I came looking for you." Finland scratched the back of his neck, nervous.

But of course, Sweden thought, both amused by Finland's flabbergasted expression and annoyed by his own mistake. He should have expected him to come earlier. Why did he have to call him before he was ready? Sweden was going to slap his forehead, but froze and quickly hid his hand again.

Finland looked at him with a curious expression.

"Umm...So, what's going on?" He tilted his head.

Sweden sighed. If only he had a few minutes more to finish the preparations...Guess it couldn't be helped. At least it was ready already if nothing else.

"Th're's sumthing I want ta sh w y'." He mumbled, fighting to keep his expression normal. He really should have rehearsed this.

"Huh? What is it?" Finland looked surprised. Sweden pulled the hand from behind his back.

"'Pen year hands." he said. Finland did as he told him and Sweden dropped the small item he had been gripping in his palm into his waiting hands.

"Huh? A coin?" Finland said, looking at the small coin. "Why...Oh...Is someone making counterfeit coins in your house?

Sweden shook his head. "N', it's fer y'. Lo'k cl'ser."

Finland lifted the coin to his eye level to read the inscription.

"_Den underbara sagan om ett land på andra sidan havet...Sverige 1809 2009 Finland..._" He said slowly. "The wonderful tale about a country on the other side of the sea, Sweden 1809 2009 Finland..."

He looked at Sweden again, amazed.

"You really did this for me?"

Sweden nodded.

"Oh..." Finland hid his mouth behind his fist and blushed lightly, but quickly tried to brush it off. "Thank you."

"Yer welcom'."

Finland looked at the coin again.

"Two hundred years...has it really been that long already?" he smiled at coin and put it in his pocket.

"Yea." Sweden replied somberly.

"Two hundred...We've come a long way from there, haven't we?" Finland said cheerfully.

Sweden stared at him and frowned. Finland noticed this and blinked, looking a lot more nervous again. "Oh...Umm...I-I didn't mean it like that..."

Sweden interrupted his shaky explanations by reaching out and grabbing yhim into his arms.

"Huh? Huh?" Finland yelped, his voice muffled. Sweden hugged him tighter.

_Please don't bother to explain, it doesn't matter._

Finland soon stopped protesting and closed his eyes, softly hugging him back.

It still felt a bit awkward and he wasn't sure would it ever be quite the same it once had been. But who cared? Even if it was different, it wasn't bad. All that mattered was that they were here now. He sighed and buried his face in Finland's soft hair. It smelled of the wind and flowers...A scent he had almost forgotten...

* * *

_"Su-san! Su-san!"_

_Sweden looked around the trying to think where the voice had come from. The forest around him looked dazzling in the soft morning light. He soon spotted the smaller boy in white running towards him._

_"Su-san!" he called again cheerfully and tripped over his own feet as he tried to slow down._

_"Oops!" He yelped and fell on the ground face first only a few feet away from Sweden._

_Sweden rushed to him._

_"'Re y' 'Kay?" He asked, concerned._

_Finland lifted his head from the moss and smiled weakly._

_"I'm okay, the ground s soft here." He said feebly and quickly got up on his knees. "Whew, the flowers are okay too!" He exclaimed happily and sighed in relief._

_"Fl'wers?" Sweden asked. He only now noticed the flowers Finland was holding in his hands...Large green leaves and white and small bell-shaped flowers..._

_"There were a lot of lily-of-the-valleys and I wanted you to see them too." He said happily._

_"B't they're pois'n's... " Sweden muttered, surprised and a little worried. "Y' need ta w'sh yer h'nds."_

_Finland shook his head. "It's okay, I wrapped them in cloth." He said and lifted the small flower bunch higher. Sweden could now see the flowers were resting inside a piece of white cloth._

_"Umm...These are for you." Finland said shyly and held the flowers out to the taller boy._

_"Fer me?" Sweden asked, touched. He carefully took the flowers and look at them. The linen cloth felt pleasant against his skin and there were still dewdrops on the leaves._

_Finland smiled. "Umm...Do you like them?" he asked carefully._

_Sweden nodded and looked at the flowers again._

_Finland looked relieved and sat down next to Sweden. He sat down too, still staring at the lily-of-the-valleys._

_"Umm...What's your favorite flower?" The Finn asked to break the sudden silence._

_Sweden looked up towards the sky and thought about it. Soon he blinked in surprise; there were so many beautiful flowers to choose from he didn't know which he liked the best._

_"I-I d'n't h've on'." He admitted._

_"Oh." Finland sounded confused. "S-sorry for asking."_

_Sweden shook his head to show there was no reason to apologize._

_"I l'ke th'se." He mumbled, turning the flowers in his hands._

_Finland beamed at him._

_Sweden lifted the flowers up to his face and took a deep breath. The hypnotic scent of the lily-of-the-valleys filled his senses. He closed his eyes and let the smell drift into his mind. The warmth of the morning sun after the long night and the pleasant fresh air were mixed into it, until all there was a medley of warm happiness and Finland's soft humming, which soon turned into singing. Sweden hadn't learned to understand the words, but nonetheless it sounded very beautiful and soothing._

_His shoulders loosened up and he let out a content sigh._

I will never forget this moment...

* * *

Sweden opened his eyes to realize he was still embracing Finland. He quickly let go, feeling embarrassed. Finland took a few steps backwards and looked away, his cheeks red.

"Umm...I should probably go now." He said quietly.

Sweden shook his head.

"D' y' want ta g' ta see th' lily-o'-the-v'lleys f'rst?" He mumbled.

Finland blinked. "I didn't know they're already in bloom..." He said, sounding hopeful.

"Th'y 're h're."

Finland smiled happily. "That would be really nice. But, umm..." He looked troubled. "It's quite cold there...And I don't have a proper coat"

Sweden looked at the corner and at the boxes there. One of the larger ones was open.

"Th're sum old clothes th're." He said, pointing at the box. "Try th'm."

"Umm...Thank you." Finland said shyly and went to see. He picked up some of the clothes in the box.

"Oh...Is this okay?" He carefully put the rest of the clothes back and showed a light blue mantle to Sweden.

Sweden gave an approving nod. "Yea." He hesitated. "'Ts yer 'ld an'way."

"Huh?" Finland looked at the cape more closely. "Oh...you're right."

He looked at Sweden again. "You...Still had it?"

Sweden looked away. "Yea." it probably looked weird, storing someone else's old clothes...

He looked at Finland again, who in turn was looking at the mantle again. Sweden's eyes widened in surprise; the sadness in the Finn's eyes had once again resurfaced and he looked like he was about to cry.

Finland shook his head slightly and got up, clutching the mantle.

"Thank you." he whispered and put it on. Sweden stared at him for a while before taking his own coat from the side of the door.

"R'dy to go?" He asked

Finland nodded and smiled faintly. Sweden opened the door and walked outside. He blinked in the sudden sunlight. It was warmer than he had remembered it to be, and many of the braver flowers were already in full bloom.

He looked behind to see Finland was outside too. He was closing the door behind him. Sweden smiled and looked at the flowers again. Even though he would always love fall, right now, his heart belonged to spring.

"Ok, th's way." He said at the Finn following him and started walking towards the forest. Finland hurried to walk by his side.

"Hey, did I tell you of the time when Hana-Tamago dug all my salmiakki into the backyard?"

"Yea."

"Oh...Did I already mention it this week?"

"Yea."

"Umm...Is it okay if I talk about it anyway?"

"...Yea."

And so they continued walking, with Finland happily chattering about Hana-Tamago's latest mischief and Sweden contently listening to him.

_I don't know what the future has in store for us, or even how long we can live in peace...The world changes so fast nowadays, who knows what happens tomorrow..._

_But one thing I do know for sure; whatever is going to happen, I know where I want to be when it happens...Right by your side._

_Always._

_

* * *

_

A/N: ...And on this note we finally end our story. =3

Whew...I must admit that while I loved writing this, it wasn't always easy. Getting inside the characters' heads was a pain (I'm looking at you, Sweden!), but I hope I did okay. Actually, I doubt this shows in the fic, but I think I delved in a little too deep...I've been feeling really melancholic ever since Sweden and Finland got separated in the fic. Lol. Well, it was worth it.

Sweden really doesn't have a national flower. Hmm...Guess he wasn't able to pick one. Aww =3 (Lol, and apparently Finland has two; both lily-of-the-valley AND white rose. That's kinda cute.)

Special Thanks to:

- Hidekaz Himaruya, for...gee, I wonder. For creating Hetalia and making sure history lessons are never the same again? ;)

- Wikipedia. I haven't felt so educated in my whole life.

- Ruusu, for much needed information and for being an all-out incredible person.

- Wang Yao, for the info about the commemorative coin and many insightful reviews.

- WhiteFrost for pointing out that typo, as well as for interesting reviews. (Btw, you were right about the civil war -bit ;)

- Tamer Lorika for being the funniest stalker in the world. XD

- Each and every reviewer not yet mentioned. Knowing that there were people enjoying the story and wanting to read more made all the sleepless nights so much easier, and I cherish every review I got.

- You, who are reading this sentence. Thank you for sticking with the fic, I really hope you enjoyed it.

...From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

So, until we meet again...goodbye and take care. :) If you excuse me, I'll just go and fall asleep on my feet. XD

* * *

_Finland had started to sing again, his voice as clear as the early spring morning around them. Sweden still didn't understand the words, but he knew they told about love._


End file.
